


Ten Thousand Years Ago

by Iskelan (Zeratul)



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: AU, Aladdin!AU, Angst, Family Issues, Genie!Thrawn, M/M, Magic, Minor Character Death, Minor Injuries, Psychological Trauma, Shock, Some events from The Old Republic Era are mentioned, Transformation, numerous Chiss headcanons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeratul/pseuds/Iskelan
Summary: One day the life of young cadet Vanto took an unexpected turn, when he recieved a special assignment from the Emperor himself.





	1. Chapter one, in which Eli wished to return to his life plan.

Eli didn’t understand why he was chosen for the task. He was told that the choice was made by the Emperor himself. A choice that no one could understand, but that no one dared to object.

The order came directly to the Strikefast, and captain Parck immediately ordered to change course. They had to abandon the current mission because the Emperor’s order had the highest priority. Cadet Vanto tensed up - their new objective was three days of flight away and situated deep into Wild Space, almost at the border of the Unknown Regions. His return to the Academy on Myomar was already delayed due to an unexpected chase after pirates, and now it was completely unknown how much time he was going to lose on this task.

Captain Parck was assuring him that should they succeed, His Majesty would definitely reward him with his favour and arrange him all possibilities to pass his exams in time. But for some reason Eli wasn’t inclined to trust the authorities. Neither those who were close to him, nor those who were far away.

Their destination turned out to be a deserted planet, whose surface was covered with traces of space battles and ruins of once-great cities. After securing their position in orbit, captain Parck ordered to prepare a shuttle for landing whose passengers were him, cadet Vanto, and two battle droids as an escort.

“And why did you ask me to take my civies… sir?” Eli asked when the shuttle detached from the cruiser. While he wasn’t told anything about this task before, now it seemed to be the perfect time to finally get some answers. 

“Is that the only thing that bothers you?” The captain sneered. “Change your clothes, by the way. According to the intel, that the guard at the gate should believe, you are pure-hearted stranger, not a soldier. According to the rumors this thing can read your soul, but… just in case.” 

“W-what?” The cadet hiked nervously after receiving such shocking information. Parck gave him a long, stern commander’s gaze, and Vanto, curling his face into a displeased grimace, started to pull off his military boots. Changing clothes took him less than three minutes and, staring through the view window towards the planet’s surface, an endless desert sizzling under its sun, he felt glad that he took a hat and a bandanna to protect from dust and heat when he left Lysatra. 

“Nevermind all that.” Parck added, when he finished, rewarding his obedience with a pleased smile. “Your task is simple. You should enter, take a specific target and give it to me,” The Captain activated a holo, which demonstrated a fresco whose subject was the dark silhouette of an object.

“Is that… a tea-pot?” Eli couldn’t help chuckling while observing it. This mission looked more and more like some tyrant’s teasing performed by his superiors to make them look dumb.

“I have no idea what that is. It is not our concern to understand the Emperor’s plans, however for whatever reason he needs that thing. For the welfare of the Empire, I don’t doubt.”  
  
“We’re flying to the galaxy’s edge to find an ancient teapot for the Emperor’s collection,” Eli murmured. “Marvellous.”   
  
“Lose the attitude, cadet.” Parck reprimanded sharply. 

  
“Will I finally go back to Myomar after this? I’m already two weeks late!”

  
“Oh, don’t worry, Vanto,” captain replied and didn’t even try to hide his irritation. “You will get back to your Myomar as soon as you finish the task.”

  
“And why me, by the way? I’m talented in math, not in tomb robbing!”

“We are landing,” one of the droids informed the others, and so they fell silent.

Eli swallowed nervously and rubbed his hat’s strap. Something about the upcoming mission was frightening him, and there was nothing rational about this fear.

The shuttle was lowering into the ruins of the ancient city, majestic and standing even after centuries passed since its erection. They landed in a place where light barely reached the ground, and where Eli had expected heat, he instead stepped into cool shadow.

“Did you memorize what the target looks like?”

“The teapot? Yeah, but… aren’t you coming with me?”

Parck scoffed. “I thought that was obvious. And remember. You go in. Take the thing. And go out. No hesitation or getting side tracked. And don’t even think of taking anything else in there - you’re going to pay your life for it. Now go. The cave is there.” Parck waved his hand in direction of the narrowing dark crevice between rocks, in which could be seen marks that were once walls of tall houses.

Eli looked at his superior with misunderstanding once more. He had no special equipment, and his physical condition was far from perfect. All these vague explanations and secrets made him feel it like the mission was much more dangerous and serious than the captain described it.

“Now go already, cadet!”

And so, he went forward. With every step he became more and more worried. Stones under his feet rolled, and the sound reflected from the walls of the crevice with frightening loud echoes. Eli shivered - further there was only a darkness that made his hair raise. He activated a shoulder light and finally saw something looking like the entrance of a cave.

There wasn’t any ordinary entrance. It looked more like then open jaw of some huge mythic beast which, as it seemed, could come alive any minute and devour an unlucky traveller. And the moment Eli reached to step over the threshold, that very thing happened - the earth started trembling, stone jaws moved, and he barely managed to jump backwards to evade the enormous teeth.

“O-o-oh Kriff, I wasn’t prepared for this!” he yelled after stumbling and falling to the ground. The fall disoriented him slightly and he tried to hide his face behind his sleeve, hoping, that captain Parck would hear the noise and send help.  
  
“Who disturbed my slumber?” the living cave pronounced, and in the context it didn’t even seem odd to young cadet.

“Fine. I must be dreaming,” he muttered and lowered the bandage that hid his face. “I am Eli Vanto. My apologies, if…”  
  
“Only one is worthy to enter the Cave of Wonders!” the cave continued with words like thunder. “The one who’s values remain unseen! A diamond in the rough!”   
  
“Eh, what that krayt’s spit?” he dusted down and rose. “No, my values are quite evident. I’m a great counter. I love numbers, I’m good at math and…” he turned around to look at the place he came from. The shuttle couldn’t even be spotted from his current location. And there was no way back. Disobeying the Emperor’s orders would never end good. Death in the jaws of living cave seemed now to not be the worst thing that could happen. “What am I even doing here…” he dropped his hands and shook his head, realizing how ironic his destiny appeared now.

“Come in!” the cave roared and opened wider. The path in front of him was illuminated with a shimmering glow, the source of which was unseen.

“Come in. Take the teapot. Get out. Maybe it’s gonna work out.” Eli shivered where he stood. “I’ll just ask for the one thing… If I’m not worthy, just kill me quickly, alright?”  
  
He assembled all his courage, shut his eyes and stepped in with almost a jump, being ready to feel the ceiling falling on him the next moment. However, nothing happened. He stood still for a few seconds and finally opened his eyes.   
  
Inside, the cave was nothing like what he saw on the surface. If outside the place looked like hot desert, here every stone was covered with life. There was glowing moss, mushrooms, worms, and insects. It all was shimmering with multiple colors and shades that filled the cave with light. It looked so amazing that the fear that petrified the young cadet slowly began to subside.

“Come in. Get out. No hesitation,” he repeated nervously and moved further through the broad space towards a ladder which he descended. Soon it broadened into a big shimmering hall, where the natural dome of the cave was decorated with artificial architectural additions of delicate shape. Luminescent plants on the walls also seemed to be placed deliberately - the spots of color combined into beautiful patterns, fitting into the artist’s design.  
  
It took some time for Eli to notice that among all this beauty the floor of the cave was covered with treasures, reflecting all the colors of the place. There were rare gemstones, thing of metal and stone, sculptures and paintings, and all of it wasn’t placed chaotically, but settled in clear mathematical order, and the cadet also noted that their placing corresponded to the laws of golden ratio.

“Now I only have to find that teapot,” Eli moaned, his eyes wandering around through the treasures. But he didn’t even have to look for it - an object, matching the image on the holo, was standing in the middle of the hall on a lifted platform. “Oh, great. Now I’m halfway through.”

He approached it and observed his objective suspiciously for a while. A squat metallic teapot with a thin handle and prolonged gooseneck looked completely harmless, but now, after young cadet encountered a talking cave his intuition spoke that it couldn’t be so simple. But right now he had only one way to get out of here.

He pushed himself and grabbed the teapot quickly, and then jumped backwards immediately, expecting some trap to spring. But still nothing happened. Eli breathed out in relief.

“Well… that was easy. I shouldn’t be so…” suddenly the metal in his hands started shining and became burning hot. Eli tried to stop it, throwing it on the floor, but the shimmering glow had a life of its own and jumped back up into his hands. He stepped backwards, shaking his hands rapidly, stumbling over a chest and falling into a pile of gems. The glow came under his skin of his palms and, after shaping into a beautiful form resembling those on the walls of the cave, faded, leaving almost unnoticeable blue burn.

“Oh no… how do I… where… oh, god,” he looked around himself and under, but couldn’t see anything looking like the teapot or whatever might be left of it. Then he looked at his palms, still itching after the burn. “He’s never gonna believe me…”

“Hey, Vanto! What is taking you so long?” The cave’s walls brought the captain’s words to him so loud and clear; it was as if he were standing nearby.

“Coming, sir,” he replied quietly and passed back through the cave to meet his destiny, and likely reprimand. 

Parck was waiting for him near the entrance, but didn’t dare to step over the cave threshold. He definitely knew more than he spoke of. Perhaps he would know about the peculiar behavior of the weird teapot. Vanto wished to hope for it. But he barely believed this could happen.

“Show me,” The Captain said strictly, pointing his blaster into the cadet’s belly. Eli swallowed nervously feeling cold running down his spine again. Now his death seemed more certain and frightening than some half an hour ago.

“Sir, I’ve… found the teapot, but it… the moment I took it it vanished and… I don’t know what happened. You know more than me, maybe you need to realize some investigation...

“I see. You’ve failed. How sad. I will inform the Emperor that… a casualty occurred.”

“What? No, sir, please!”

“Sorry, cadet. Nothing personal.”

The shot sounded loud. Eli cried in pain, pressing his wound reflexively, and the next moment he shook, feeling the weakness taking over his body. The captain kicked him in his ribs, and he rolled down the ladder, hearing the roaring stones of closing cave with his fading conscious.

***

When he woke up, he felt no pain. On the opposite, he felt so relaxed and full of energy that he didn’t believe at first that he was alive. His next assumption was that the weird adventure for the teapot was just a long, unpleasant dream. But it was also wrong - the glowing cave was still around him after he rubbed his eyes.  


He looked down and discovered a blaster burn on his shirt. However when he touched his belly, he didn’t find any wound. He was completely fine - there wasn’t even any pain after the fall. Only his hands were itching where the intricate burns still were, and that itching was getting stronger.

“It seems that soon I’ll stop needing to wonder.” He mused as he moved his sleeve and rubbed his wrist. A cool wave of relief ran through his hands, and his burns started shining again. This time it didn’t cause any pain. The shining moved from Eli’s hands and flowed through the air in a shimmering band, looking like polar lights.

It curled under the ceiling in a few rings, then went down and shaped into humanoid figure. Soon it faded, and in front of Eli there was now a tall man in loose gowns with golden embroidery. He looked almost human, but his skin was pale blue, and his eyes were menacingly a burning red. His features looked like they were set in stone by an unknown sculptor that was trying to create a statue of a wise and just god of war. Long black hair was assembled in a thick tight braid, and on his wrists there were heavy bracelets from metal that looked similar to that of which the mysterious teapot was made.  


“Wow!” Eli’s lips were curved into a nervous smile, while he himself rose on his elbows and tried to crawl away from the visitor. “Are you a Chiss?”

“For ten thousand years I haven’t met anyone who knew the proper name of my race,” the man replied and his thin lips twisted in a restrained smile. His voice was low and soft, and blew away cadet’s fear like soft warm breeze. “It looks like you are the one I’ve been waiting for. May I know your name?”

“Vanto. Eli Vanto. From… from Lysatra,” Eli replied awkwardly, proceeding to blink nervously, still not completely believing in what was happening. “And you… do you live here?”

“Eli. I love the sound of your name,” he came closer and slowly lowered on his knees, then bowed to Eli, spreading his hands in front of him so that his broad sleeves laid around him in beautiful blood red circle. “From now on I will serve your will.”

Eli rose on his feet, observing the strange man attentively. The latter remained immobile, and even his heavy braid didn’t fall to gravity. Eli didn’t find anything better than to sit in front of him and touch his hand, to confirm he was real. His palm was warm and living. Even slightly hot. Blue skin on it’s inner side was a little bit more pink, dark veins could be seen under it, so that Chiss was proven to be a creature of flesh and blood.

“I seem to… misunderstand something. Completely. I guess I’m delirious, and in real life I must be on the threshold of death.”

“I have cured your wound. Your life is safe. May I get up now?”

“Ah, yes, of course,” Eli said perplexed, realizing that he was still holding his hand. He rose again and helped the Chiss to stand up. The latter didn’t straighten himself fully, leaving his face leveled with Eli’s. His attentive burning gaze made Eli feel almost warm.

“Haven’t you ever heard stories of wishmasters in your childhood?”  


“No, not really. Mostly scary tales of the Chiss that can freeze you in the forest when you get lost in winter. Or steal you at night and eat you alive. Or… even worse.”

“That’s all right. We will have eternity to fill the gaps in your education.”   
  
Eli didn’t notice when he appeared behind him and embraced his shoulders softly.   
  
“Now let me explain briefly,” he proceeded. “I am an omnipotent genie. I can make wishes come true. No limitations. No exceptions.”

“Does it have something to do with that teapot, right?”

“Teapot?” Chiss frowned. “That thing is called a lamp. Ancient lighting that existed before the electricity was invented. But yes. I was inside it, before you touched it.

“Now I seem to understand why the Emperor wanted it so badly,” Eli moved his eyes and bit his lip. “And why gave us so little data on this mission.”  


“Good for me this time I protected it well from those unworthy,” he took Eli’s hand and touched the burn on his wrist gently with his finger tip. “And now my will is in your hands. So, Master Vanto. What do you wish?”  
  
“Well, I… really wish I could peacefully end up my education in the Academy. I should have returned there weeks ago, but this stupid mission… Captain Parck must have mentioned that I’m gone in his report. How can I return now?”   


“Very modest wish, I’d say,” the genie nodded his head aside and lowered his eyelids.

“But you can make it, if you’re the omnipotent… what did you call that?”

“Genie.”

“And do you have a name?”  
  
“Oh, you…” Chiss’ lips trembled for a moment, demonstrating his amazement, before him pressed them tight and moved his eyes. “I don’t think you’ll be able to say it right. But… I think you may call me Thrawn. Considering I’m your companion from now on - it is acceptable.”

“So can you make my wish come true? Bring me back to Myomar in a way so that I won’t have any problems with captain Parck or the Emperor?”

“Of course,” the genie waved his hand in the air, and Eli, after he blinked, found himself in the middle of the very familiar broad entrance hall of the Academy. His dirty civilian clothes were replaced by a clean uniform, and on his shoulder was hanging the very sack he took on board of Strikefast.

There weren’t many people in the hall. Nearly everyone was away for their duties, and among those present some were communicating with the droids near the infoconsole and some were hurrying for the lessons. Cadet Vanto appeared from nowhere, but nobody noticed him. He restrained himself not to cry in amazement and proceeded to the timetable to see the date that was two weeks ago - the very same by which he should have been back to, if the cruiser didn’t deviate from the initial route.

“It… cannot be!” he opened his sack and checked the contents - all his stuff, including the spare clothes, which he used on the recent mission, were there, clean and neatly folded. He looked around himself - his new friend couldn’t be seen anywhere. Then he looks at his wrist - the burn was still there, but wasn’t itching.”

“Eli!” a familiar voice called for him and the next second someone pulled his sleeve. Vanto turned around and saw a student from parallel group - a dark-skinned girl with curly hair that many considered his girlfriend. He was even fine with the thought of making these rumors come true, but studying took all his time and attention, not leaving any space for such thoughts.  
  
“Olivia! Uh… hello.” 

“I didn’t know you were back! I heard that other guys are stuck on Strikefast because it went krayt knows where.”

“Yeah, sort of. Fortunately I… managed to finish my duty earlier and returned in time,” he said and gave her a strained smile, while having no idea on how his words correlated with the truth.

“Don’t hang around then!” she pulled his sleeve again and made few impatient steps in the direction of one of the side corridors. “The lecture starts in a minute!”

“Yeah… sure,” he shook himself of all the remaining doubts and followed her. Finally everything went according to his life’s plan again.

***

Just when all today’s lessons ended, Eli rushed into his apartment. After locking himself in, he activated a pad and requested the Strikefast flight plan. It was in the same point where they were on his memory two weeks ago - following the patrol route where they encountered the pirate vessel a day after. Then he looked into his dossier - everything was written the same way he told to Olivia - mark of excellent ending of duty and serial number of the shuttle that delivered him.

It seemed that everything happened in the best possible way, but shivers went down his spine. It all was so unlikely, this could easily be a dream. He nervously rubbed his wrist and immediately moved his hand away, remembering how it ended the last time. But it was too late.  
  
The lines of the burns on his arms started shining again, moving away from the body and forming into the genie.

“How may I serve you, Master Vanto?” he gave him a suave bow, spreading his beautiful gown all over the floor of small quarters.

“Oh, Kriff! You… you’re real!” Eli felt weakness in his legs and set on his bed. Genie didn’t answer anything, remaining in his humiliating posture. “Um… er… Thrawn, right?”

“Right,” he replied, and again it seemed to Eli that he heard a sound of bitterness in his voice.  
  
“You… um… can get up,” he bent over him and took his hands, pulling him up. Then he rose from his bed, forcing the Chiss to rise with him. The Chiss straightened himself unsure, looking at his hands. “And… do you always have to do that ‘bowing’ thing? It makes me feel awkward.”

“Why so?”

“I don’t need a servant. And I find slavery immoral. And besides… the Chiss in legends are always so proud and noble, and you look so beautiful, and I…” 

“Beautiful?” Thrawn interrupted him. Eli looked at his amused face and only now he noticed how much cosmetics the Chiss wore. He lowered his eyes immediately when he saw him smile.

“Yeah, I… always imagined the Chiss as something mysterious and beautiful, and you… look exactly that way,” Eli spit out, feeling how blood rushed to his cheeks. Realizing that he still held the Chiss’ palms in his hands he felt even more embarrassed and hurried to let it go. He stepped backwards, forgetting that there was bed behind him. He stumbled and cried out, and would definitely fall, but Thrawn caught his shoulders firmly.

“Please, be careful, Master Vanto,” Thrawn continued to smile softly and helped him to sit down. Then, evidently avoiding the awkward silence, he pressed his palms one upon the other and looked around. “This place looks rather boring and depersonalized. Is it here you wanted to return so bad?”

“Well, I… have to finish the course. Decorations are not considered in military academy. They would distract the cadets,” Eli added and rubbed his nape. “I guess so.”

“You are very responsible young Master. Will you allow me to sit beside you?”  
  
“Yes, of course, but… I don’t really have any wishes right now. I made sure that you are real, and I’m not dreaming. You took me out of that cave, moved in time and… now all goes according to plan.” Eli shrugged nervously, feeling, that the consideration of this events should reach him with a lot of stress sometimes. Perhaps. “What more should I wish?”   
  
The genie raised his eyebrows in amusement and lowered on the bed near him.

“May I ask, what is this… plan of yours?”

“I am going to become an Imperial supply officer,” Eli straightened proudly. “I fit this assignment perfectly. Everything is already set. I just have to graduate.”

“A supply officer?” The Chiss’ face curved with a mixture of emotions, a blend where amused and misunderstanding dominated.

“Yeah, it is a fine and important job. Monitoring the warehouses, ordering the equipment, checking trade manifests, operating the accounts…”

  
“I know what this assignment includes, Master Vanto,” now Thrawn’s voice sounded disappointed. “I am just amazed that it doesn’t even come to your mind to reach for… something more. I can give you anything!”

“Right now, please, let me have some rest. This day was so intense, my head is boiling! I could barely hear what I was told at the lecture! And there is preliminary test tomorrow,” Eli interrupted, realizing that his words must have sounded rude. “And yes, thank you for taking me back in time, it would be very hard to fix if I missed it.”

“Obeying your will and receiving your approval is everything I exist for, Master Vanto. If you need me,” he touched the burn on Eli’s wrist, “you know how to summon me.”

“O-oh, wait, wait. Is it going to… be that itchy while you are… there? I’m afraid to ask where…”  
  
“Oh, I’m afraid so. But if you feel uncomfortable - I can stay outside. I won’t occupy too much space.”

“You already did with that gown of yours!” Eli grunted. But within another blink of his eyes the genie, sitting right beside him a moment ago, disappeared and appeared again as a small clone of himself in the palm of his hand. Now he indeed took little space and weighed almost nothing. “Oh… oh wow that was… You can do even such things?”

“I took you back in time and space, edited the records and the memories of people that I have never seen before, and you are shocked more by simple correction of atomic dimensions,” Thrawn said and chuckled. His voice, despite his size, didn’t become quieter. “If you wish, I can become even smaller. Or I can become huge like a moon. Or even a sun.

“Oh, there’s no need. That will size will do fine,” Eli smiled, touching the fabric of his clothes with gentle curiosity. It became even more delicate than the most expensive silk he saw. “Now I can carry you in my pocket. I’m gonna have my pocket magic Chiss, huh,” he didn’t resist the intention to touch his face. Even his small copy had warm skin. Teasing his childish amusement, the genie grabbed his finger and jumped to sit on it. Eli laughed and rose him on the level of his eyes. “Kriff… that’s cool!”

“Looks like your life was very boring, Master Vanto, if you are so happy with such a minor miracle.”

“On the contrary. I am quite happy. And now I wish to sleep well, to have a good rest before tomorrow’s test.”

“If you say so.”


	2. Chapter two, where Eli wished to become a perfect supply officer

When Eli woke up, he rushed to open his eyes. He didn’t remember how he undressed and fell asleep - a few hours just seemed to disappear from his life. He had slept deeply and didn’t recall any dreams, and now he felt well rested and full of energy, but still he was worried. He turned in bed and found the genie, lying on his pillow nearby. He was as tiny as yesterday, and was either sleeping, or pretended to be sleeping, resting his face down on a pile of the fabric of his own sleeves.

“Ah, right. I’ve said aloud I wished to sleep. Uh,” he checked the time on his pad. He had almost two more hours until the test began, and he could find some time to prepare if he managed to dress quickly. He touched the genie gently with his finger. “Hey, magical Chiss!”

He rose up lazily, frowning and rubbing his eyes. He was sleeping indeed.

“I’m listening, my Master,” he bestired himself, straightened his back and his creased gowns became beautifully smooth again, and few neglected tresses assembled into his perfect hairdo.

“Oh wow. I never thought such ancient omnipotent magical beings need to sleep.”

“I have no vital need for it, but it’s a pleasant process. I can afford it once in three hundred years. So… what is it you wish for, Master?” 

“Ah, yeah,” Eli crossed his legs and sat on the pillow. “I wish to have breakfast. Right here. Something quick and delicious.”

“As you wish, Master,” the genie waved his hand, and a small table appeared before Eli right from the air, soaring on a repulsor lift. On the table there were fresh pancakes with sweet syrup and a cup of hot caf.

“Wow, cool, these are my favorite!” Eli smiled and put one of them in his mouth. The taste was great and could compare with those pancakes that his grandmother made for him long before in his sunny childhood. He sat still, willing to prolong this moment to feel this perfect combination of taste, slowly moving the soft crumbs mixed with syrup on his tongue… and he almost choked over, seeing with his sideview that the genie was staring at him. He felt irritated and rushly chewed and swallowed. “Don’t stare at me like that when I am eating! It is annoying!” 

“Forgive me, Master Vanto,” he turned around and looked at the wall. “I will look in some other direction.”

“Um… Kriff, sorry that was rude. All right… maybe you want to eat too?”

  
“Me?” he turned around again.

“Yeah, if… you cast yourself a portion, you may… become normal sized and eat with me. Am I right to suppose that tasty food is also somewhere among the simple mortal pleasures for you?”

“I am grateful, my Master,” he changed his size again and sat in the corner of the bed with his legs crossed like Eli’s. A bowl and two wooden sticks appeared in his hands. His dish smelled spicy, and Eli froze for a moment, watching the blue fingers operating the sticks slowly, taking small portions without dropping even a piece of them back. Thrawn was eating with appetite, and his face looked focused and pleased. “Kriff. Now I’m staring at you,” Eli shook his head and returned to his pancakes.

Now nothing was distracting him and he could taste the second pancake for all of eternity. The caf was also as tasty and flavorus, and the young cadet completely lost the stream of time, until his holocom received a call from Olivia. 

“Oi, Vanto! I didn’t see you at breakfast! Do you remember we have a test today?”

“Oh, yes, of course I remember! I just was going to…” he glanced at the chronometer and blood flushed immediately from his face: the miraculous breakfast took almost an hour instead of fifteen minutes he considered, and now he had only little time left to wash his face, dress up and run to the auditorium. There was no speech about any additional preparations. “Oh by the void…” he angrily hit the button finishing the conversation and looked fiercely at the genie, that was scrubbing the remaining pieces of his breakfast from the bowl. “Now what have you done! I was asking for a breakfast to eat quickly!”

  
Genie rose his eyebrows.

“I only did as you wished,” he put his sticks into the bowl and it disappeared. “Prolonging your pleasure of two small pancakes was only your desire. If you were in a hurry - you could ask me to make the time go slowly. I am quite capable of it.”

  
“No, that would be irresponsible,” Eli jumped off the bed and started to dress up in a hurry. “You are right. I was a fool. Eating the best breakfast in my life before failing the test - nice plan!”

“Maybe this is because you actually don’t want to pass this test? Oh, besides I can effect the result…”

“I must do it myself, and I must do it perfectly! And if I don’t - my parents will shame me for that until they die. More than that - the guilt will eat me up inside!” he jumped into the refresher and washed his face, stroking his messy hair with wet palms. Then he gave it up - his appearance was now irrelevant.

“So it’s about your family,” the genie proceeded meanwhile, and his words for some reason ignited cadet’s irritation with unbelievable speed. “They made a choice for you, and you follow it, afraid to disappoint them, but at the same time you are…”

“Shut up!” Eli shouted unexpectedly loud for himself. The genie inhaled shortly and obeyed,    
  
***   
  


_ “Maybe this is because you actually don’t want to pass this test?” _ The words of his new magical familiar proceeded to sound in his head even when the test was finished and they left the auditorium. Olivia dragged him and some more cadets to the mess to discuss the possible results and catch a breath, but Vanto’s mind was still somewhere away. _ “So, it’s about your family.”  _

He clenched his fists. His irritation, persistent after the unpleasant chat, kept boiling in him and didn’t go away for the whole two hours they were given to complete the test. In essence he had nothing to worry about - he always knew this subject excellently and could answer these questions even if someone woke him up in an unfamiliar place after a long drunk night. But right now he was so emotional that he was sure he did a lot of mistakes. He kept the pad with questions before his mind’s eye and reviewed the answers he had chosen, and realized that there were far more wrong answers than it is acceptable for an excellent student. Perhaps even that much that he won’t be allowed to pass the final test, and will be forced to retake the course. And the worst thing is that his parents will be informed of his failure. 

He tightened his fists even more and his knuckles went nearly white. He wanted to blame the magical forces that interfered into his life, but he realized that it was only he himself to blame. If only he could concentrate better. 

  
  


“Hey, Vanto, you look so stunned. What’s wrong?” cadet Tsugumi asked. He never was someone with good marks and always tried to make friends among best in class. Including Vanto. Not very successfully.   
  


“I’m sure he’s thinking that he wrote the test too bad,” Olivia replied instead of Eli. “It happens every time, and then - whoosh - his results are the best.”

“No, this time I really messed up,” Eli shut his eyes and started stimming nervously, grabbing and shuffling his hands.   
  


“Hey, calm down. Even if it’s bad - it’s not the end of days,” Olivia was cheerful and tried to give him support through touching his shoulder, but he roughly moved aside. His strain was so strong that every simple touch felt painful like an electric charge.    
  


Whispers flew through rows of cadets, then someone announced out loud:

“The results are here!”   
  


Cadets took their personal pads and started telling their values. Mostly the results were good. Eli swallowed nervously.

“Sixty seven… na-ah, that could be better,” Tsugumi moaned.   
  


“Seventy five,” Olivia sounded impressed.

“Not bad,” Eli replied with his throat dry and activated the message on his pad. A red-orange announcement appeared on screen saying the number “Fifty two”. His heart skipped a beat, his head went dizzy. It was even worse than he imagined. He felt immediate wish to leave this place and lock himself in his apartment, while his schoolmates were shocked and silent. He rose and walked awkwardly away from the mess hall.   
  


When he found himself in his apartment, he fell on his bed, pressed his face in the pillow and allowed himself to scream a bit. He drew out his scream as long as he could and hit the bed with his fists, until the emotions drained him dry. Only then he realized he wasn’t alone in the room. 

He turned his head slowly and saw the Chiss, standing still near the entrance to the refresher. There was no clothes on him, long wet hairs were lying loose on his shoulders. His skin was humid, but his makeup remained untouched. That was so unexpected, that Eli froze with his mouth half-opened, forgetting for a moment about his terrible failure.

“Oh kriff I… completely forgot you exist.”

The Chiss shrugged and grabbed his inner gown from a chair. It was as long as his outer gown, but in it the crimson shades were dominated by dark-grey. He looked so enchanting and mysterious, that the choir of disapproving voices in Eli’s head became quieter. He even felt a spike of guilt that he left the genie here alone for so long.    
  
“Thrawn, come here,” Eli reached his hand in front of him. The genie approached, wrapping his gown around his body while he went, and lowered on his knees, touching cadet’s palm with his forehead. His glance was unfocused, lips pressed tight, and all his face seemed sad and distracted. “What is it? Are you too disappointed in me now?”    
  


Thrawn raised his eyes to him, then lowered again and shook his head. One of his wet tresses fell on his face, and Eli took it with his fingers and moved it behind his ear.

“Then why don’t you talk?”

Thrawn nodded backwards. There immediately appeared a hologram, demonstrating scene from today’s morning.

_ “They made a choice for you, and you follow it, afraid to disappoint them, but at the same time you are…” _

_ “Shut up!” _

The image interrupted and disappeared. Eli slapped his forehead.    
  


“Kriff… I’m so sorry. I… didn’t even think you would take it as an order. You may speak again.”   
  
Genie exhaled loudly, and weird restrainment that Eli noticed in his figure when he saw him moments ago finally disappeared. 

“You are very kind, Master,” he said and nodded his head. “I’ve learned my lesson and I will do my best not to anger you with such words. You are free to choose your destiny as you wish.”   
  


“No, really, now I feel guilty. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. Sometimes my emotions just knock out my self-control,” Eli lowered on the floor, sitting right in front of Thrawn, and grabbed his shoulders, forcing the Chiss to look at him again. Genie’s eyes were shining dimly from under half-lowered eyelids, and Eli felt a knot in his throat. “Alright, not sometimes. It happens quite often.” 

“Tell me, Master Vanto, what do you wish right now?” His question was so grim and one-sided that Vanto moved his hands away and straightened. 

“I have failed the preliminary test,” he confessed griefly, rising on his feet. “And since you are an omnipotent genie, you will help me to fix it.”

“Oh, but what about your principals?” Thrawn raised an eyebrow, and something wicked flashed in his expression. “Your knowledge? Fair play?”

“Oh no, I’m not asking to falsificate the results or write the test for me. I just need a second attempt,” Eli helplessly spread his hands, asking himself, how fair it was to use such opportunity. From the other side - the genie was waiting for his wishes and reminded about it every time they talked. “I need you to bring me back into today’s morning. And this time nothing should distract me. Neither sweet pancakes, nor unpleasant talks, nor itching in any unexpected places, nor overwhelming emotions… I have to pass all the exams excellently. I wish to graduate from the Academy as a perfect supply officer, for my parents to be proud of me.”

“I will make your wish come true, Master. You will become exactly the one your family wishes to see,” The Chiss’ thin lips folded into a smile, and his eyes burned brighter. “However I should warn you: the effect of my spell will last until you graduate from the Academy and receive your parents’ approval. And you can’t order me to interrupt this effect before it happens.”   
  
“Why should I even wish to interrupt it? I think I should like that.”   
  


“We shall see,” said genie with a sneer and waved his hand.

Eli’s consciousness was suddenly filled with a massive wave of unfamiliar senses. Huge amounts of data flew through his mind on high speed looking like infinite flows of numbers, that after a few moments concentrated into common concepts and images. Enormous information blocks describing each object around him were realized sooner then he could see the visible shapes. However after a few more moments, like the loading was complete the world returned to the usual state of things.

Thrawn was standing before him. He put his palms in front of his face in a frame shape, like he was observing a result of his work.

“How are you feeling, Master Vanto?”

“Indescribable. So much information! And all of it is processed so fast,” he analyzed his emotions. “It’s such a delight! Everything is so clear and well organized! All my knowledge and skills… It seems that if I think a little bit I can calculate some universal equation! If only I needed it…” he chuckled and only then he realized that something wasn’t right.

He couldn’t feel his lips moving when he spoke. His eyes weren’t blinking, but he didn’t feel them dry. Information of the air temperature in the room, uniform fabric texture, sounds loudness - it all was only a faceless flow of data, causing no other reaction but rational analysis. And when he started to realize it and compare with his previous experience, he discovered another more significant weird detail: he didn’t breathe. And he didn’t feel his heart beating.

A sudden new emotion was identified as worry. He looked at his hands and found yellowish-grey metal instead of his common brown fingers. It was so artistically done that their mobility wasn’t lost compared to organic analogue. 

“What… what have you done to me?” the emotion transformed into panic. Eli touched his face - metal clinked against metal, formed to resemble human face features. Symbolic swelling where nose should be, narrow slit replaced his mouth, pair of sensory discs instead of eyes, turning slightly depending on his emotions. 

“I only made your wish come true,” genie gave him a cunning smile and hid his hands before his back. “Now you are a perfect supply officer, and for sure you will pass all the tests with excellent results. Your family is going to be pleased.”

“You’ve turned me into a droid!” Eli exclaimed wailsome as loud as his mechanics could afford. Proceeding with touching his head, he found that right inside the metal construction synthetic hair was fused and settled into a hairdo, resembling his usual mess. For some reason this small detail became the last straw, and Eli started moaning from emotional overload. 

“But now nothing will distract you from realizing your tasks,” Thrawn proceeded with unhidden irony in his voice. “Emotional reactions won’t interfere with priority processes, and the only physical need of yours is now weekly charging.” He walked around Eli and slightly hugged his shoulders from behind. “You can have all your time for learning,” he pronounced prolonging every word and following them with pathetic gesture.   
  
“Why did you do this to me? Is it your revenge for making you silent?”

“You didn’t want to hear my words. So I have to reach your mind…” genie knocked Eli’s metal temple with his nail, “through actions.”

“Please, give me my body back! Please!”

“After you graduate from the Academy and receive approval from you family. That is the deal.”

“So I am going to stay like this for three months? Oh by the void…” he wanted to press his teeth and cry, but his new body had only one option of demonstrating emotions with turning of sensors and moaning.

“You are having your test in fifteen minutes, Master Vanto.” Thrawn reminded softly.

“Oh?” the emotion overloading his processor suddenly faded and moved into background processes behind the new priority task. His conscience was filled with neutral education related information that dislocated all the other thoughts to the borders of comprehension. “Yeah. Right.”


	3. Chapter three, where Eli wished for something more than he was usually allowed

He passed the test perfectly by all terms. Eli answered all the questions as easily as if he had the textbook in front of him. In a sense, he really had it opened in his head as a datacloud of his memory. Picking up all needed information took much less time than inputting it on the test pad screen.

Now when it all was done and he didn’t have to concentrate on tables and numbers, he could allow himself to pay attention to his feelings again. He had no idea how the emotional software worked, but he mentioned that these artificial emotions felt almost real, with the only difference being that their presence didn’t affect any other systems and they could be turned off or minimized if he wished.

Nobody in all the Academy seemed to notice the dramatic change that occurred to Eli. First it made him feel relieved and satisfied, but then, when all the cadets went out after the test and moved into direction of the mess, he started to worry. The genie’s magic was flawless, but Eli was still curious, how deep it affected his studymates consciousness.    
  


“Hey, Olivia,” he touched the girl’s hand while she was standing and looking for a vacant table.   
  


“Yeah, Eli?”

“Didn’t you… notice something unusual in me?”

“Well, I never expected to see you once without your… human disguise. However, if it bothers you, it doesn’t affect my attitude. You’re nice,” she flicked his metallic jaw with a loud plink. The flick caused a flash of sensoric data, assembling into realizing the lack of threat from this action. “Although a tin can.”

“You mean… you’ve always thought I was a droid?”   
  


“Counting so quickly without devices and analysing such amounts of data is possible only for a droid, or a genius,” Olivia shrugged. “I wanted to believe you were human, but now everything seems right. However that doesn’t make you less unique. I’ve never seen a tin can with hair!” 

“Please, stop calling me that.” 

“Sorry, I’ll try,” she turned away from him and looked at her pad. “Oh, the results are here already,” her smile immediately faded. “Sixty six! Ugh, terrible, that’s almost the lowest score!” 

“How strange… last time there was another number,” Eli amazed. His memory kept very clear the same events in the alternative timeline. He remembered clearly that Olivia had better results. Considering the fact that he was the only change the genie made to this reality, it was logical to assume that it demoralized the girl somehow.

“What do you mean “last time”? You must be having your usual ninety seven, right?”   
  


“Basically it’s one hundred,” Eli objected, observing his own result on screen. The beautiful number caused immense satisfaction and pride within him, that moved away all the other doubts and emotions.

“Ah, I see,” Olivia turned her back to him unexpectedly roughly. By analyzing her features Eli detected simultaneously annoyance, irritation, offence, disappointment and anger, phasing one into another. “Now you don’t have to pretend to be an imperfect human,” tears blinked in her eyes. “And I used to like you,” she turned away again and hastily walked away among the occupied tables, evidently hoping to find some vacant seat on the edge. Analysis of her mood dictated Eli that she shouldn’t be followed for attempt to talk again.   
  


“Oi, Vanto!” cadet Tsugumi called him from behind. “What’s up, you want to hang up with mortals?”

“Right now I am not sure that my presence here is necessary. Probability that it will cause discomfort and aggression is ninety seven point zero three percent.”

“So maybe you should hang out with the ones like you and stop embarrassing us with your brilliance?” his voice tones sounded kindly, but his bare teeth and position of eyebrows demonstrated aggression. “How do you entertain yourself? Cleaning microschemes and bathing in oil? If fleet hires someone like you, we’re gonna be like Trade Federation!” 

“Your emotional setup makes me assume that you’ve failed the test.”   
  


“Oh to the void with that all! What’s the point in trying to be better, when someone basically perfect is studying with you?”

“I think…”   
  


“I don’t care what you think, tin can,” Tsugumi roared and passed by him, pushing him rudely with his shoulder. Eli’s sensors analyzed the his friendliness was almost undetectable and gave a slight warning on a potential threat, while Tsugumi swore and pressed his hand against the a blooming bruise after hitting metal.

Clear of his last doubts, Eli walked away from the mess hall, where the discussions became more and more vivid and intensive. A perfect vocal analyzer served him well to transform all the speeches into clear text messages, letting him see that Tsugumi and Olivia were not alone in feeling negative emotions towards him. Many students blamed him for their bad marks directly. Eli failed to understand their logic and felt offended. 

When he entered his quarters there was nobody inside. Not a sound came from the refresher, not a sign of genie’s presence anywhere. Eli considered it as a nice possibility to stay alone with his thoughts and conclude something at last on what had happened to him.   
  


He sat on the bed and looked at his hands again. He couldn’t deny how perfect they looked and how beautifully and quietly his fingers moved. He hadn’t seen such flexibility even within the waiter-droids, stylized to look like lithe and limber ladies.

“Allright, it’s not so terrible after all. I have to stay like this only for seven million eight hundred eighty two thousand three hundred twenty seconds… Uh, Kriff, that is really long!” while he couldn’t shut his eyes, he covered the visual receptors with his palms. Immediately he felt how pointless this gesture was and threw his hands down. 

  
The next test was going to occur in a week, but now he didn’t need to get ready. He had all the lectures available in his database and didn’t have to repeat them or systematize. Same could be said about his battle and piloting skills - all the poses, instructions and buttons positions were known, and he didn’t have to train to make his body memorize the moves - a droid’s memory was perfect here too.

He questioned the agility of his new body, so he rose and tried to replay some attack moves of melee combat. All doubts disappeared instantly - he could never move that good when he was human.

“I am perfect indeed,” he said and sat on his bed again. “But why do I feel so sad then…”

***

Quite soon, Eli realized how slow the time passed for his mechanic brain. Calculative output was so high that any problems that he used to solve to kill some time now took seconds. Every solved task gave him a short sparkle of satisfaction, but familiar formulas came to an end. When he ran out of them, he came to investigate some more complex mathematical theories, and when he tried to prove one of them, he stumbled on lack of data. Attempting to induce resulted into too high variativity, solutions of which couldn’t pretend to be true.

“Why am I even doing this?”

Attempts to think of some other kind of entertainment weren’t successful. He realized now that he used to spend his free time on additional studies, which weren’t needed now, or on dozens of little things available only for living being. An image of sweet pancakes flashed through his memory, that was the last thing he managed to eat before he was turned into a machine. Somehow the datacloud preserved all the sensations of the human body in every detail. He pressed his palm on the middle of his chest, as if his stomach was growling, and clasped the fabric of his uniform. 

_ “And this time nothing should distract me. Neither sweet pancakes, nor unpleasant talks, nor itching in any unexpected places…” _ he remembered his own words. Making him a robot was indeed the most effective way to make his wish come true. The genie only did what he asked, and there was no point to blame him.

However there was still one point he had doubts about. He decided to send a call to his parents, considering his excellent results as logical excuse. He activated the holocamera and stood in front of it to be fully visible.

Mistress Vanto answered the call. She stood before camera in house clothes, dark hair a bit messy, like the call caught her in the middle of some interesting activity. Eli was glad to see his mother, but this feeling was spoiled when he realized he cannot smile. This small detail ruined the common ritual of his communication with his family and it made him very worried.

“Mother… hello,” he said, ticking his head nervously and hiding the mouth-crack on his face. This call was a bad idea indeed, but he did not have enough courage to interrupt it. Whatever this conversation was - it should take some of his time, distracting from dull inactivity.

“Eli?” mistress Vanto exclaimed with sound of amusement in her voice. For some terribly long seconds she was just staring at him. “What happened? You don’t tend to call us for no reason.”

“I’ve passed the preliminary test with one hundred points. I am the best again!” he said proudly and straightened himself, but then immediately felt the need to hide his face again.

“I’ve never doubted you, son. But why do you…” she frowned. “You look like a protocol droid.”

“That’s not forever,” he grabbed fabric of his sleeve by human custom, but this time it didn’t affect his feelings. He realized he could just turn them off, but this thought instantly ran a protest within him. “I had a hard time concentrating during the last test, so I… decided to move my mind into mechanical body to increase my efficiency. The result was positive. Now I can become a perfect supply officer.”

“Oh, that… was a very serious and responsible move! I never knew such a thing was possible!” emotions on mother’s face moved quickly, but there was nothing like shock or terror he was expecting. “I guess, that wasn’t easy. I am so proud of you!”

“Really?” Eli felt equal mixture of joy and disappointment. Joy of knowing his family was satisfied with him. Disappointment that his mother wasn’t even scared of the fact that her son stopped being human. _ How much did it have to do with magic? _ “Thank you, mother. I am very glad to hear it.” 

“Go on that way, son. Father is working, I will tell him how good you are,” now mistress Vanto was sincerely smiling. Disorientation and worry that could be seen on her face in the beginning of conversation now vaporized.   
  


The call then finished. Eli stayed in silence again, alone with his thoughts, feeling and implacably slow going time. He moved his sleeve to peer at his wrist and saw a blue pattern, engraved in metal, repeating the shape of burns on his once living hands. He rubbed it few times with his fingertips. 

The genie appeared in the middle of the room, dressed in some torn worn clothes and dirty all over. There was a tree branch and some leaves tangled in his loose long hair. He shook where he stood, like summoning teleported him right when he was running somewhere.

“Oh… Master Vanto,” he took a tress of his hair with his fingers and made a short move with his hand. Dirt instantly disappeared, his clothes were replaced with a crimson-grey gown, hair untangled and fell on his back beautifully neat. After managing himself he gave Eli a short respectful bow. “You summoned me so soon. Had something went wrong?”

“Where have you been?” was the only thing Eli could say with all his perception concentrated on the genie, the whole look of which was aesthetically perfect. Only now besides the aesthetics, there were many more parameters, and every detail was enchanting with how in harmony it was with everything in him. Especially stunning was almost perfect facial symmetry, evident now to his mechanic eyes.

“I was looking for ancient Sith treasures on Yavin. I assumed that for the next three months you won’t need me,” he straightened himself, evidently concluded that he was already bowing long enough. “Do you want something?” 

“You do know how to entertain yourself, don’t you?” Eli said with a tone of jealousy.

“I’ve spent thousands of years inside this lamp. So many new pieces of art must have been created and discovered! I must find and see all of them!” Thrawn smiled and raised a dark stone plate in front of him with some text on unknown language and golden ornament, which Eli hadn’t noticed in his hands a minute ago.

“Art?”   
  


“Yes. Art is the flowers, blooming on the soil of civilization. I think it is the best thing in the Universe.”

“Perhaps, I should follow your example. That should definitely occupy me for some time. Being droid is so boring.”

“I may imagine.”

“Have you been turned into droid?”   
  
“I am an immortal omnipotent genie,” Thrawn twisted his lips. “Trust me, it is much worse.”

“Allright. Actually, I wanted to ask you… how much did your spell effect the minds of people around me? Everyone seemed to accept my transformation… so calmly. Like they were expecting it. Even… hoping for it.” He remembered his mother’s words again. She was so proud of him.

“I simply removed such transformation from category of the impossible for this particular case. As I can see, you’ve already ascertained that your parents find your new shape very  _ convenient _ .”

Eli wished to contradict him, but cold data analysis was implacably confirming that the genie was right. Now when transformation of their son into a droid looked like something casual, his parents considered it not as a nightmare, but as a resourceful opportunity. The only thing that puzzled him was that they didn’t assemble a droid right from the start. 

“Yes, you are right. I should have listened to you. Well, now I will have three months to realize my mistakes. And I wish you to give me material to study. Enough to take every free second of my time before my parents arrive.

“Please, specify, what kind of material are you interested in, Master?”

“Art.”

“Hm?” Thrawn raised his eyebrows in amusement.

“In my attempts to be more effective as a human I couldn’t afford myself wasting time on something but study,” Eli crossed his hands on his chest. For some reason now he felt more human than during the whole day passed. “But while you’ve turned me into a tin can, I’d like to fill this gap. I’ll trust your taste.” 

“I approve your choice, Master Vanto,” the genie smiled and waved his hand, and in his palm appeared a big old fashioned pad. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you, Thrawn. You may go and make up for all the years you missed.”

“Maybe, you do not wish to be in my company?”

“Ask me, when I become human again.” 

“Deal.”

***

_ “...then Darth Lupus ordered the wishmaster to destroy everything that was dear to his heart. He was terrified, but unable to resist his will. His hands were trembling. He flipped his fingers and closed his eyes. The whole civilization was erased from the face of the galaxy. The cities disappeared, and with them billions of living beings and everything that was created by their hands. And there, where they used to live once, now the wind was blowing. As if they never existed.” _

Eli was finishing the last story from the collection that Thrawn gave him. Only few hundred of seconds remained until the moment when the shuttle from Lysatra landed, and he, after meeting his parents, would be able to become human again. This time was quite enough.

His amusing and pleasing discovery was that reading stories and looking at the pictures were the processes that occupied his comprehension completely and activated lots of analysis. Sometimes it even became so difficult that he had to spend some time to comprehend this information even after he observed it because new data allowed him to see new layers and details.

In the end of the digest Thrawn had placed a few stories about genies. Although these were fantastic tales, Eli now had a lot of questions and guesses on which of them were related to reality and how much. __   
  


_ “...and when Darth Lupus was petrified, his servant summoned an activated lightsaber and threw them into a rigorous dance. Glowing blades chopped the dark lord in thousand of burning pieces within a blink. The Galaxy was saved, and the wishmaster had not been seen ever since.” _

That was how the darkest of tales ended. Eli thought deeply and moved his hand to rub his wrist, thinking that he’d like Thrawn to be nearby. But his father came close and distracted him with his greeting.   
  


“Eli, son, you look great!”   
  


“I don’t think I am much different from the other droids of my model with anything but hair.”   
  


“You know, I’ve studied the data that you sent, and made sure that you are one of a kind! It seems like someone assembled the best features of different droids and made one that is the best for us!” Vanto senior nodded to mistress Vanto that came nearby. She responded to him with a judging look, and he corrected himself. “I mean… for you.”

“Well I am delighted to see how happy you are,” Eli crossed his hands on his chest, hoping that his gestures make his emotions obvious even with lack of any facial expression. “However now when I graduated from the Academy, I would like to return to my organic body.”

“Oh, this is not necessary,” his father raised his hand in dominative protest. Usually such gestures and intonations made Eli scared and willing to submit, but now he was in full control of his emotions - because he’d seen his new purpose very clearly. “You know, I used to think of sending you to cruiser under Jakim Jester of Falk Colowsky’s command, but now I see much more potential in you! Now with your resources I could trust you all financial and trade operations of my company!”

“No, father,” Eli objected coldly. “I have had seven millions eight hundred eighty five thousand one hundred and fifty long seconds to reconsider my life. And I don’t like the role you two see me in. There are so much more interesting occupations in the universe than accounting profits and making lists. It’s a shame I didn’t realize it before,” he looked at his mother. Fear reflected in her eyes. She seemed willing to add something to his words, but afraid. “And now, if you excuse me, I have an important appointment,” he nodded to both parents, turned around and started walking away to the exit from the platform.

“Well, I’ve expected this,” said Vanto-elder grimly. “Fortunately people have already invented a way to subdue disobedient droids.”

He never took a chance to turn around after this menacing phrase. Eli felt something hit his back. The hit wasn’t strong, but the object magneted to his metal form, and the next moment a strong electric charge overloaded each of his receptors.


	4. Chapter four, in which Eli wished to become himself again

The two inquisitors entered the throne room. Thrawn walked in front of them, keeping an appropriate distance to let none of them touch him.    
  
“Finally, you brought him here.” An old-sounding voice said from the darkness of the room. A ray of dim light fell on the big chair on an estrade. “Now, leave us.”   
  
“Nobody brought me here.” Thrawn objected with a smile. “I came by my own will.”   
  
“You cannot have your own will, slave.” The chair turned, and a figure in hooded cape appeared in front of him. Energy, twisted by dark thoughts, was curling around it like mist. The Emperor, which was so thirsty for this meeting for all this time, turned out to be a Sith Lord. Just another one of them. Thrawn exhaled with disappointment.   
  
“Your data is out of date by at least five thousand years, your majesty. I recommend you to focus your efforts on searching for some other sources of power, if you think your own is not enough.”   
  
“I am sure I will find something to persuade you to submit.”   
  
“There were many others before you, and they ran out of reasons. I just wanted to make sure you're nothing different. And now, if you excuse me, I have an appointment,” Thrawn concentrated and walked through space, transferring himself from dark throne hall to a brightly lit platform for guest shuttles, thousands of parsecs away from Coruscant.   
  
Many just-graduated cadets gathered there underneath the setting sun of Myomar and were exchanging warm greetings with their relatives that came to congratulate them. From all directions vivid discussions could be heard, some on raised tones, some calm and peaceful. But Thrawn couldn’t hear the familiar voice of Master Vanto. And couldn’t feel his presence as well. Evidently, his Master didn’t summon him as the time came.   
  
“Did you really feel like you wish to remain a convenient machine?” Thrawn frowned, breathing in the air of landing platform. He felt weak smell of electricity right where he was standing. He lowered on his knees and touched the smooth polymeric surface of the platform and discovered some fresh scratches. They smelled metal. “Or the other scenario worked out.”   
  
“Hey, you there, in red!” voice of patrolling officer called to him. “You’re not authorized to be here!”   
  
Thrawn rose and straightened himself, turning to the speaker. The young man saw his face and shivered, making an unsure step back.   
  
“I was only looking for my friend, Cadet Vanto. He looks like a gold-colored droid with messy hazel hair.   
  
“A droid with hair?” the officer laughed, but then frowned. “Oh wait, yeah, there was one. He was standing right here not a long time ago, and then - boom! - he fell down, probably broken. His parents took him away.”   
  
“And where should I go to find him?”   
  
“Information on the Academy students is confidential,” the officer pressed his lips, but didn’t start to walk away. Thrawn sneered - a few months spent among the Imperials demonstrated to him how deeply corrupted this Empire was even in the most minor parts of social life.   
  
“Allright. What do you wish to recieve for this information?”   
  
“Seriously? You’re trying to bribe me right in the middle of the landing platform?” He took Thrawn’s sleeve and pulled him to cover behind big cargo boxes. “Are you… some kind of Pantoran Minister? Rich?”    
  
“I am a genie. I can make one of your wishes come true in exchange on your favor. Decide before I change my mind.”    
  
“Oh, like in that fairy tale about magic carpet? There was a thief and a princess… or there were three brother princes?”   
  
“You are trying my patience.”   
  
“Oh, fine, fine, um… I wish for a million credits! And promotion! And for my very own space yacht!”   
  
“Didn’t I say one…” Thrawn lowered his eyelids and touched his forehead with his fingertips. It wasn’t something he was not used to, but it was so annoying every time. “Well… I’m not greedy. Here, there are…” he took a briefcase from his sleeve, captain’s rank plaque and a pad, “credits, promotions and access codes to your new yacht. But first…” he took a step back not allowing the officer to reach for his presents before he allowed.   
  
“Lysatra colony, Wild Space. Sector dorn six three. Corso street, third house,” the young man said and Thrawn gave him things that he wished for.   
  
“I am very grateful, captain,” the genie sneered and snapped his fingers. For the next few moments he was enjoying the stunned face of the young officer, who realized that everything that just happened was for real.   
  
***   
  


In the Vanto family manor there was no signs of their son. Thrawn tried asking around but people looked like they didn’t even remember that the boy existed once. But he definitely was on this planet - the genie felt it.   
  
He analyzed different variations of how the events could go. Some of them were already wrong. Others were more and more grim. However, if the worst-case scenario occurred - he would feel it as well. Besides, not much time had passed. 

The next assumption was that the Vanto family was so hungry for power over their son, now turned into a perfect supply master, that they moved him directly to fulfil his duties. With his calculating speed and capability to analyze, systematize and pick up the needed data, he could replace a whole brigade of organic warehouse crew, except maybe the cargo droids. And that meant he should be looked for among the warehouses that belonged to the Vanto family.   
  
Two of the explored warehouses were fully equipped with personnel. The third one was empty. Only emergency lighting was on. Too dark for Humans, but quite enough for a droid. And for a Chiss.    
  


After walking through a few rows of big cargo boxes, Thrawn encountered an MSE-droid that was scanning the perimeter attentively. At first he managed to passed by him unnoticed. Then the small droid bumped into a sleeve of genie’s robes. He whistled loudly and fled into the depths of the warehouse. Thrawn followed it, assuming that it’s going to bring him to the warehouse chief.    
  
The MSE-droid led him to the central console. Master Vanto indeed was there - evidently his father decided not to wait, but to start exploitation of such valuable resource immediately. In test mode, for beginning. His enthusiasm was so high that he didn’t even bother giving any uniform to his new mechanical servant, and now only hair reminded of the droid’s former humanity. And even the hair looked like someone tried to remove it from their head.   
  
The MSE moved under Eli’s feet and beeped something.   
  
“An intruder? Here?” the droid turned to look at Thrawn and raised the small service blaster. “Stay where you are!”   
  
“Oh... Kriff,” the direct order immobilized genie’s feet and didn’t allow him to step any closer. “Master Vanto, it’s me, Thrawn… I came back, to return your Human form, as we made a deal!”   
  
“I do not know who you are or why you address me like this. I am EL-1, and you are not on my list. You are not authorized to be inside warehouse V-3. I have sent a call already. Master will deal with you,” The droid’s monotone voice lacked any hint on emotion, and he himself was standing still, not following his words with any gestures. It was very unlike Master Vanto, as Thrawn remembered him. But it definitely was him - almost unnoticeable ornament on his metal wrists confirmed that this very droid was his Master. Then Thrawn spotted another detail - something he never included when he was projecting this body. There was no doubt now - one of the worst scenarios turned real.   
  
“Oh, no… That shouldn’t have gone so far,” he looked again at his feet, still paralyzed by his Master’s will. “Look, EL-1, do you want me remove this restraining bolt? It must be slowing all the processes you execute a fair deal.”    
  
“It is a trick. You are trying to deceive me. You will use it to approach me, then to attack. It will not work. Stay where you are, put your hands up so I can see them.”   
  
“I only want to help you,” Thrawn raised his hands, very displeased with his vulnerable position. He didn’t have much time now. “You are a very loyal and responsible worker. Restraining you is just unfair. You’ve got extremely high calculation potential, and you’re allowed to execute only on some three point eighty two percents.   
  
“You are right,” droids head tilted slightly. “I wish I could trust you. I… trust you. Please, remove this restraining bolt. It interferes with my background analysis.”   
  
Thrawn felt the invisible grip disappearing from his limbs and rushed to the droid immediately. This time EL-1 didn’t resist him and even lowered the blaster - the accidently pronounced wish to trust worked well.   
  
“Now it’s going to hurt a little,” Thrawn warned him while he got the ugly head of the restrainer. When the bolt was removed, EL-1 screamed loudly and shook backwards, pressing his palm against his chest. He didn’t say anything, but now his movements were full of his returned feelings.   
  
“Why?” he finally asked mournfully. “Why did master do that to me? I agreed to execute every task without this restrainment… Why?”   
  
“I guess, the answer lies in that part of your memory that he preferred to erase.”   
  
“He interfered with my memory? Oh, this is horrible… I want to have all my memories back! Can you…” he twitched again and then froze. “Thrawn! I… I remember! You… oh no…” he grabbed his own head and screamed, “oh, no!”   
  
“The sooner you make a wish, the sooner it ends!”   
  
“I wish you to give me back my Human form!”   
  
The lighting of the warehouse was activated. Voices came from the side of the entrance, but they were covered with long loud inhale. Eli shook, desperately trying to stand on his feet, and fell into Thrawn’s embrace. His body was shaking of the mad neurotic impulses. Naked skin was cold and wet with sweat, face was paralyzed with expression it used to have when Eli was a droid. After some long coughing he managed to clench his teeth, but only to restrain a sudden urge to vomit. Thrawn turned him around and helped him to bend, holding his back.

When master Vanto-elder came, he froze for a few seconds in amazement - when he received the message on intruders, he didn’t expect seeing two men in beautiful gowns in the middle of the warehouse, one of which looked completely drunk.   
  
“Who the hell are you? Where is EL-1?”

  
  
  
Eli made an indistinct sound which was interrupted with vomiting. Some dense pink-white substance was coming out of him.   
  
“Oh, it seems that we drank too much and walked the wrong way,” Thrawn replied, proceeding to hold him gently. The crimson gowns were broad enough to cover Eli fully, so only his messy hair and face, reddened with blood flushed to it, glistening with sweat and tears, could be seen. “It was so quiet and dark in here, only mouse-droids peeping, so my friend and I decided…”   
  
“He should be by that console! Where is he gone?”   
  
“Oh, I am afraid he self-destructed when he tried to remove his restraining bolt. These fine technologies are so fragile, you know.”   
  
“What? No, no-no!” Vanto-elder turned on. “I don’t believe you, jerks! Oh, how can it all be, he is my… my most prospective worker!”   
  
“You meant to say…” Eli whispered, interrupting on coughs, “...your son?”   
  
“What?” He finally looked more attentively and his face was twisted with recognition. “That cannot be! How…”   
  
“Magic, dad. Magic.”   
  
“I suppose, he needs a more informative demonstration,” Thrawn added and snapped his fingers. That instance Vanto-elder turned into a droid almost identical to EL-1. Immediate shock followed the transformation. Screams of protests came out from the droid, and he himself tried to fight physically from his own new body.   
  
“Wait… did I… feel that bad?” Eli asked, weakly leaning on genie’s hands. He finally stopped vomiting, only proceeded to spit out the remnants of pink substance.   
  


“The artistic approach to magic is one of the most pleasant possibilities in genie’s life. I made a soft entry into new body for you. The reverse spell was a little rough.”   
  


“Now I see… why I… keep spitting that oil out.”   
  
“Forgive me, Master Vanto. I was afraid to be late. I will remove it now.”   
  
“Don’t… call me that… anymore. And transform him back.”   
  
“Allright… Eli.”   
  
Vanto-elder became Human again. His hysteria reached its peak, and he simply froze, staring at Thrawn without blinking with a terrified look in his eyes. 

“What… what are you?” he whispered, pressing himself into one of cargo containers walls. 

“You know, master Vanto, your son - is a wonderful person. Very kind and smart. I am sorry to see that you never realized it,” Thrawn turned away from Vanto-elder and looked into Eli’s face. The latter looked shattered and tormented, but a little better than after the initial shock. “Where do you wish to go?”   
  
“Somewhere, where I can wash myself. And eat some sweet pancakes,” he lowered his turgid eyelids and smiled weakly. Then frowned again and spitted. “But first I wish you to vomit that krayt’s oil too.”

Thrawn hurried to press his lips with his palm, before the disgusting oily substance raised from his stomach and filled his mouth. He bent and moved his broad sleeves to let it go out, and for a few more seconds he was spitting out the untasty remnants. He straightened again, materialized a napkin and dried his mouth, then looked at Eli and smiled.   
  
“That was fair.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smol sketch by Tiranushka - "That was fair" moment https://pp.userapi.com/c851324/v851324987/17ba30/Eg4lOZNrz_g.jpg


	5. Chapter five, where Eli wished something for Thrawn

The grey walls of the warehouse disappeared when he lowered his eyelids. When he opened his eyes, it was daytime. Soft light filled the air, not hurting him with its brightness. Eli inhaled deeply. The air was humid and full of smells of flowers and inscences. The place was unfamiliar, but it didn’t bother him. 

“Where are we?” He asked, focusing his gaze on big wooden gates in the shadow of which they were standing.

“Somewhere where nobody will look for you. And where you won’t meet any droids.”

“I thought you said something about washing.”

“That’s right. This place is bath complex,” Thrawn pointed to a beautiful wooden sign with carved golden inscription in an unfamiliar language. “Hot springs, steam baths, massage and only tasty healthy natural food.”

“Sounds like some entertainment for rich guys.”

“Are you poor?”

“I don’t even have clothes now,” Eli buried himself deeper in Thrawn’s crimson gowns. The fabric was heavy and thick, but he couldn’t get warm. As if while he was a droid his every limb got numb, and now slowly and unwillingly came back to life. His feet were not holding him - he could stand only with Thrawn’s arm around him. Hot springs definitely seemed like a good idea right now.

“You’ve got your own genie. One wish, and you’ll become the richest person in the galaxy.”   
  
“I’ve got a better idea... carry me. My legs are like wet clay.”

Thrawn lifted Eli up gently and slowly, but even such movement made the Human feel dizzy again. The Chiss noticed it and posed him more comfortably, allowing him to put his head on Thrawn’s shoulder. Being that close, Eli again observed almost immobile and unnaturally perfect features, underlined by the ornament of bright, festive looking makeup. 

He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching from the side of the bath complex. A small girl in airy light gowns was running to them and stopped in a couple of steps. When she slowed down and bowed low she almost fell.

“Greetings, noble master and… another noble master!” she exclaimed in Sy-bisti. “Welcome to Johao baths! How should I introduce you to our chief?”

“Immortal Raw,” the genie introduced himself. The girl opened her mouth shocked and fell on the ground indeed, almost digging it with her face.   
  
“It is a great honor to be the first one to see your return!” she said and raised her head. “Please, come in! I will inform the chief!” she stood on her feet again and ran away even faster then she came.   
  
“Do they know you here?” Eli asked, for some reason he wasn’t surprised.   
  
“Yes. And they love me,” Thrawn replied, slowly starting after the servant girl. Eli allowed himself to close his eyes and rest for a moment.

He still was recovering from the shock and couldn’t even think of what was yet to come. The only people that he trusted blindly for all his life betrayed him without hesitation the moment he decided to say something against their will. Now he had no one to trust. He had no money, no family, no name, no future, no home he could come back to. To be honest- he could. But he didn’t want it. Right now all he had left was the mysterious Chiss of which he knew almost nothing, and who became the initial reason for all the troubles that happened to him. The only thing he could rely on was his unwavering obedience.

_ “The artistic approach to magic is one of the most pleasant possibilities in genie’s life.” _

Eli frowned and shivered with his whole body, but didn’t open his eyes. Right now this standing point was better than nothing. He wasn’t yet ready to start looking for something else. He really wanted to trust Thrawn. And he did.   
  
He regained conscious when the warm, almost hot air touched his skin, and his fully undressed body was put on a heated plate of polished stone. It was such a pleasant feeling that he didn’t even frighten, and a short pleased moan came from his lips. Warmth flowed through him, yet was not burning his skin. It was doing exactly the thing that he needed the most - relaxing and making his blood rush. Eli allowed himself to fully give into this process, perceiving only those senses of a regained body a little bit, understanding that beyond this small island of peace, a dark abyss of terror and despair was waiting for him yet to be realized and explored.

He felt touches almost weightlessly stroking his body. Then they pressed a little stronger against his calves, causing painful reaction in his cramped muscles. He groaned quietly, twisting his leg and opening his eyes.   
  
The genie was standing above him, still fully dressed. Drops of either swear, or condensed vapors were glistening on his face, and his flaming red eyes were menacingly lighting the misty air. Judging by how the fabric of his gowns were laying on him it was entirely wet and heavy.

“Hey, don’t you want to undress?” 

“I decided that my naked body may distress you,” Thrawn replied calmly, proceeding to rub Eli’s body with aromatic relaxing compound. “Especially now when I serve you in such a peculiar way. Your mind is still shocked and it makes your reaction difficult to predict.”

“I guess you're right,” Eli rose up on his elbows and tried to look around through the mists of vapors. “Aren’t there any other servants?” after miscalculating his weight, he lost his balance on the slippery polished stone and would have hit his head if Thrawn haven’t caught him at the right moment.

“You don’t like how I am doing it?” he asked, and it seemed to Eli that there was some insulted pride in his voice.

“Oh, no, you’re doing it really good. It’s just… unfair. I want you to rest here equally with me. Not as a servant,” Eli interrupted himself, realizing the thing he was going to say. An unpleasаnt lump feeling in throat almost took away his ability to speak, but he managed to finish the phrase. “But as a friend.”

“If that is what you would like.”   
  
The genie gracefully threw his wet gown from his shoulders, and then the inner gown after it, which slipped amazingly easy from his wet skin. Then the heavy metal rings that were holding his hair fell on the floor with a loud clinking sound. Thrawn put his hair in a knot, fixing it with two wooden sticks, and layed on warm stone near Eli, shoulder to shoulder.

Two bath complex servants stepped out from the mist, and Eli felt a touch of warm hands again. However, despite the fact that they were as skilful as the genie, it didn’t give him the same pleasant feelings. He wasn’t sure that it was about magic, and these thoughts were even more embarrassing than the naked body of unbelievably beautiful Chiss. And now when they weren’t alone anymore he almost regretted his wish. 

***   
  


His mind was full of numbers, assembling into tables and lists. Those lists were enormous and included the smallest details of binary characteristics of each object. Each one included thousands of values. And there were thousands of such lists, unifying into groups and multiplying in every point of his comprehension. Infinite rows of numbers were also inside him. And there was nothing but them.   
  
Eli roughly inhaled and opened his eyes. He had to blink a few times until the flows of zeroes and ones that previously streamed in front of his eyes finally moved to the outskirts of his consciousness. He breathed out with relief and rubbed the drops of sweat from his forehead. Millions and billions of numbers arranging all his being were only a nightmare, passed on from his recent reality. A reality that he was not yet ready to analyze - any attempt to think of it even for a moment caused pain in his chest and nausea. 

Here, cool night air came inside their room through wide windows with the smell of incense. Somewhere outside quiet and calm string music was playing. He passed out yesterday during the massage and didn’t even bother to ask what was this planet called, and now it felt like he was in some different mythical dimension of happiness and harmony.

His back felt very warm - almost as warm as it was when he was lying on the hot plates of the steam bath. But now it was something soft. He tried to turn around and felt big strong arms holding him. He felt suspicious and explored them in the darkness. At first, he panicked, but he felt immediate relief when he felt familiar metallic bracelets on the wrists.

“Thrawn? It’s you, right?”   
  


“You were talking in your sleep,” the reply followed, and Eli felt the hot breath of the Chiss in his hair. “You asked me to hug you.”

“Oh. Well, you… may let me go,” he took Thrawn’s wrist and gently moved his hand. Suddenly his whole body twitched as if it were in pain, and the genie took his hand away roughly and moved over. Eli turned and looked at him - he could see only red eyes glowing in the darkness, and now they were narrowed. “What? Was hugging me that bad?”   
  


“No, it’s not about you,” Thrawn rushed to object. “Contact with you is quite pleasant for me. It’s just the bracelets…” he opened his eyes wider, and in their light it could be seen that he was twitching his fingers in pain, “...they are quite constricting.”

“I am sorry. I didn’t know,” Eli said guilty. Wide bracelets of light metal were the only thing that genie never removed from his body, even when he was fully undressed. This detail reminded him of fel legends that he read in the digest Thrawn gave him. However he couldn’t allow himself to dive deeper into these memories - associations clinging to them caused nausea again, along with nervous tremor and sense of rejection. “You.. can take them off, right?”

“If I do that, my mortal body will immediately deteriorate, as it should have thousands of years ago.” Thrawn made a slow move with his hand and two paper lanterns lit above their heads, filling the room with soft light. “You must be hungry.”   
  


“Hey, I’ve told you. Stop this… service thing.”

“You are still shocked,” Thrawn rose and put on a white long bathrobe. Another similar garment was lying on the floor and evidently was intended for Eli. “You haven’t eaten anything since I’ve turned you back into a human. And it’s been already twelve hours. If you wish for me to behave as a friend to you - allow me to show some friendly care.”   
  


“If it’s something unpleasant for you - you shouldn’t…”

“It’s all right, Eli,” Thrawn interrupted him, and Eli felt shivers running down his back when the Chiss’ voice pronounced his name. “I do it by my own will. Do you wish to have breakfast in bed?”

“Actually, I’d like to have a walk. This place is so peaceful,” Eli put on his gown and rose from their bed, that in fact was not thick, but a very soft mattress lying in the middle of wide wooden room. However he felt immediately dizzy and there was a weakness in his legs that couldn’t hold his balance, forcing him to fall over. He exhaled in surprise and tilted backwards, and would definitely be a painful landing, but Thrawn caught him into his arms. “Oh… thank you. But this time I definitely didn’t ask for it.”   
  


“If you don’t want me to show initiative, I…”   
  


“No! No… I… if it wasn’t your initiative, I’d still be a…” Eli hesitated, unsure which word would suit the most. Inertially he thought of it deeper and remembered yesterday. Again the flows of numbers began to run before his mind’s eye, assembling into images, senses and feelings. Terabytes of information fell on him right from his memory with such intensity that he lost his contact with reality for a few seconds.    
  
“Eli! Eli!” Thrawn’s scream, loud and real, burst through the wall of numbers. “Breathe!”   
  


But Eli couldn’t inhale. He couldn’t remember how. He couldn’t find the needed data in the information flow - a human’s mind couldn’t do that quickly. He was searching through the mental commands as fast as he could. Wrong. Wrong again. His body twisted in the chaos of inputs.    
  


The air finally got into his lungs - not by his will - but it helped to cast the faceless flows of data to the outskirts of conscious again. Eli coughed and with the second inhale he managed to regain himself. He found himself lying in their bed again. The genie was above him with his mouth opened and his hand on Eli’s jaw. 

“Oh, Kriff… is it going to be like this always now?”    
  


“You will need some time. More than those few seconds that would be enough for a droid.”

“And I am… a human. Yes. I am a human,” he repeated slightly unsure, squeezing his hands together to check that there was indeed flesh there, warm from the flow of blood. “Thank you,” he swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to stand up again. This time slower and leaning on Thrawn.   
  


It wasn’t easy for him to walk, so the walk wasn’t long. They went from the opened lounge to cobbled street and silently passed by few other apartments, looking just like their own was. The buildings were situated around a small fountain depicting a dancing goddess in its center. The ring of the street was ended with a higher main building from which came the music that Eli heard before.

There were some humans - humanoids, as Eli saw when he looked closer. They looked much like humans, but were different with sand-color skin and light blue spots on their cheekbones. There weren't many of them. Mostly they were sitting under the roof on thin blankets and were dressed in the same white gowns that he and Thrawn were wearing. They were eating with sticks from big bowls, and Eli recalled that he had seen such utensils before that only when he saw the genie having breakfast. Others here were either serving, or carrying food and were wearing yellow or pink.

“What does the master want?” one of them asked, coming out to meet them, and bowed shortly.    
  


“Noodles with wooden fungi and milk,” Thrawn replied and looked at Eli. Eli lowered his eyes, puzzled. Along with slow body reactions, his brain still refused to comprehend this reality. It was too beautiful, too calm and dreamlike. Unlike the flows of numbers. But a droid couldn’t have dreams. “Eli?” 

“I think I need to see the menu,” he hid his face under Thrawn’s sleeve, still grabbing his hand.   
  


“If you’re visiting our planet for the first time, I’d humbly recommend you try a salad of lokwa and ratune, and a dragon fruit juice,” the servant offered politely.   
  


“Sounds very unusual. I think I will try it.” Eli raised his eyes and smiled, feeling a little more confident. “And do you have sweet pancakes?”

“We have anything you wish, if we are given proper ingredients and a recipe,” the servant looked at Thrawn. He smiled and took a parcel from his sleeve.

“Here you’ll find anything you need,” the genie gave it to the servant and led Eli to the free table, low and surrounded by pillows and carpets. He held his waist, helping him to have a seat, and then lowered himself nearby. 

“Those people… they do know who you are, right?” Eli asked after sitting silently for a minute, staring at the small flame burning above their table. He moved his eyes and noticed that the source of flame wasn’t some candle - it was sitting at the end of metallic nose of a thing, looking much like the teapot from the cave of wonders. “Oh, so it’s really a  _ lamp _ !”

“The datapad that I gave you contained a story about a thief and a magic carpet.”   
  
“Ah, yeah. Quite a nonsense. But if you mentioned it, I suppose it has something to do with reality.”

“The main difference is that the thief girl was initially a Twi’lek. And had much more obstacles to become a prince’s wife. So, her first wish, when she came here, was to become a human. And only after that - a rich princess, worth to become a beloved wife and an empress.

“So, you mean, that… a sentient rug with artificial gravity and its own atmosphere, capable of flying in space with a speed exceeding the speed of light…while playing pazaak and making wishes come true is… real?”

“Actually I asked you because the action of this legend occurs on this very planet,” the genie proceeded evasively. “As some other more after it. In a way… it was I who made these people what they are now.” 

“Right. I actually paid attention that the descriptions of the location were much alike, when I was reading. Just gave up on the genre specifics,” Eli swallowed another lump. This and the other stories he read right before his family came for him on their shuttle. The railings of memories pushed him forwards, and he shivered, feeling brightly in his memories the hit of electricity, paralyzing his will. This time he was returned into reality by a glass of juice, touching the stone surface of the table with a pleasant knocking. “But there was no genie in that fairy tale.”

“Do you think so?” Thrawn asked calmly and looked attentively at him. Eli frowned, almost regretting that he didn’t have that huge analysis speed that he possessed while reading those legends.

“The carpet,” he narrowed his eyes in disbelief. “You were… a carpet? But… how?”

  
  


“I can turn into anything my master desires. Absolutely anything. And, before he allows me to transform by my own will, I will remain in that shape until he, or another master desires something else.”

“In the other legend a servant girl found the genie… in an old rug. Oh, Kriff…” Eli was petrified and stared at Thrawn with his mouth opened. His heart beat faster, and the world blurred before his eyes, leaving before him only red eyes glowing and features, lined with dim light of the lamp.

“Unlike Jas she felt uncomfortable talking to a flying tapestry, so she kindly offered me to become something more humanoid,” he proceeded in the same calm tone, interrupting to make a gulp of milk. “And she was the one who started the most dramatic changes to this world, torn by feudal conflicts at that moment.”

“And… how long had you been… a carpet?”

“I don’t know precisely. Something around five hundred years. Half of them I was lying in the palace of Dzhebulla family on Nal-Hutta, until Jas was ordered to rob it. She was so greedy and took too much and… used me as a sack to carry her loot. Because of all carpets in the palace I looked the most expensive and beautiful. Than her employer cheated her, and she panicked. And so she guessed to say her first wish aloud - to get twenty thousand parsecs anywhere away from Nal-Hutta. I guess it sounded more romantic in the legend.

“Five hundred years…” Eli whispered and slowly put his hand on the genies shoulder, while he went on looking calm and carefree. His words were hard to analyse, but yet Eli believed him. Though he couldn’t imagine it. But he remembered very well the torturing long seconds of his own existence in a metal body. “Thrawn… that’s so terrible,” he swallowed again, and tears came to the corners of his eyes.

“So, that servant girl - her name was Chagia - with my help she took the throne and founded the silver dynasty that united this world under one flag. After her I served a few generations of the emperors, and became a part of their culture and history, and even art…”

“...so terrible!” Eli moved roughly towards Thrawn and grabbed him into his arms, burying his face in the Chiss’ shoulder. Now tears came from his eyes out of control, sinking into white fabric. Thrawn strained in his embrace a little, but then breathed out and gently stroked Eli’s hair. 

“I don’t think you should project your experience on mine. It wasn’t so bad after all. Only unpleasant when the Hutts were slithering on me, and their disgusting guests spilled liquids on me… and the music there was terrible. And someone got shot every day. And… it was really boring,” he breathed heavily again and softly moved Eli away. “Awfully boring. But still better than the life I had before.” 

“But… what can be possibly worse then to… be a thing that people rub their feet with and… I don’t even want to think what parts of Hutt’s body you had to contact!”

“Are you sure you wish to hear it right now?”

“No. No, I…” Eli lowered his eyes confused. A few tears streamed again on his cheeks. Thrawn took a napkin from his sleeve and gently wiped them, then stroked his forehead with his finger tips, removing his wrinkles. Then he nodded at the table.   
  
“Your pancakes are here. Eat.”

***   
  


It felt like the time on this planet stopped. From one side Eli realized that in his other state of his mind he would be bored to death here. But right now these calm lazy days, looking like one another, were just the thing he needed. Tasty and healthy food, cool nights and light warm days, peaceful and interesting local entertainment and lots of baths and swimming pools, which could be occupied as long as he needed. Meditative walks around the gardens and watching beautiful and calming views from the mountains on the towns at their feet, blooming like flowers among the green. And among all of this - an almighty genie, living almost like an ordinary mortal and telling his stunning stories.

He had really lived hundreds of years in this world, and after all that time, serving under the will of local emperors, he turned this rather primitive and cruel society into a prosperous utopia. It’s citizens deliberately refused to contact the other worlds. That’s why, as the genie said, one day they just asked him to create a magic veil around the planet to hide it from any eyes or devices. The veil lifted only once a year - for those few who were curious enough to fly away and explore the galaxy, far away from their perfectly safe home.

One of these was once a son of an emperor, which decided to take the genie with him.

“It was his idea to put me into a lamp, to make me serve only his will,” he said as they approached the shore of a wide pool. Eli dropped his gown off and gently moved into warm water. After few days here he almost regained control over his body, and he thought he’d be able to swim a little. He dived into the water once fully, then swam slowly to the other edge of the pool.   
  
“If they were so grateful to you… why would they put you into a teapot?”   
  
“Those who made up these legends, didn’t realize what they were talking about. It’s not an imprisonment. It is an attempt to protect me. Before I got into the lamp I literally belonged to… everyone, and… that ends up poorly when you get into some bad company. Unfortunately by that time, I had no idea that there are such people as the sith lords around. I should have thought of some protection against them before they got me.”

“But… you’re an omnipotent being. Why should you even obey someone?”   
  
“Because only the other’s will can make my magic work. The only thing I can do is choose the interpretation of their will, dressed in words. I spent many years to conquer that grade of freedom that I possess now, and that’s only because my masters never watched their words,” Thrawn lowered to the edge of the pool and dipped his feet into the water. Eli swam to his side.

“Don’t you want to join me?” he asked and laid on his back, allowing water to keep him floating on its surface.

“No. That will hurt, so I won’t share your pleasure.”

“The bracelets,” Eli guessed. For these days he noticed that Thrawn was often awkward when he did anything willingly by his hands, but he never asked if that had something to do with them.

“Yes.”

“And what if I say that…” Eli made a pause, choosing words and hoping that the genie would use them with maximum gain for himself. “...I wish these bracelets to become a little more loose, but still not falling from your hands?”   
  
Thrawn shivered. Metal on his wrists started shining and then faded again after changing its shape. Now the bracelets didn’t bear hard on his skin, but now hanged, leaving almost a centimeter of free space. And now Eli could see a thin line on their surface which marked a place where they could be opened - not only they became more loose, now they were possible to take off. But soon another thing attracted his attention. The loosened bracelet came a little lower to genie’s palms, unveiling that part of skin which it covered before. In fact - there was no skin at all. A slightly burned fine blue edge was followed by burned, but living flesh on his wrists, holding onto the bones, visible under it.   
  
The wounds, unveiled under bracelets, immediately started bleeding, painting in red the edges of white sleeves and lower parts of his gowns. Eli covered his mouth with his palms in terror, feeling an instant desire to say farewell to his recent dinner. He forced himself to stop looking at this terrible thing, and his look moved to Thrawn’s face. Genie pressed his lips tightly, not making a sound, and his restrainment was visible only by the veins on his temples and neck and his heavy fast breath. Eli managed his feelings and said aloud:   
  
“I wish your wounds to be healed!”

The bracelets started shining for a moment again, and where the burnt flesh appeared healthy skin. Thrawn breathed out in relief and raised his hands to look closer, observing the results of Eli’s wishes in disbelief. He bent all his fingers one after another, then clenched his fists and rotated them. His lips folded into something, that Eli would call a hysterical smile.

  
“My hands! They’re alive again!”

He jumped on his feet and summoned a long metallic staff out of nowhere. He moved fast, rotating his weapon, throwing it between his hands. Eli was watching him with opened mouth - genies reaction looked weird for him. Even a little scary.

Few seconds after, while rotating the staff once again Thrawn evidently miscalculated his balance and hit his own face. That disoriented him completely, so he stumbled the border of the pool and fell down into the water, splashing a wave on Eli.

“Thrawn!” Eli dived to help him and easily pulled him back to the surface, grateful that the water level here was lower than his height. Small reddening on Thrawn’s forehead ridge showed that the Chiss hit himself and could be unconscious. Eli worried and pulled him to the pool’s shore, but Thrawn suddenly spit out the water that filled his mouth and laughed. “Oh, Kriff, you’ve scared me!”

“I’m fine,” the genie turned to him. “Just lost my shape a little after ten thousand years.”   
  
“You mean you want to say…”   
  
“Thank you.”

Thrawn hugged Eli, and now these hugs felt different. He held him tight, and the Human felt how hot and strong Chiss’ fingers press his skin. He realized now, why all the time before the genie was so careful in everything about his hands, but never gave a sign how painful it was. And now Eli had even more questions.

But not now. Now the genie’s eyes were shining with joy so brightly that Eli couldn’t dare to spoil it with talks about his grim past, now seeming even more terrifying.

When Thrawn released him, he dropped off his gowns and swam, spreading his hands widely in the water. The fall knocked away the sticks that were holding his hairdo, so now his hair was following him like a long dark-blue river. He moved quick and beautiful, and it looked magical for Eli, even though there was nothing magical in it right now.


	6. Chapter six, where Eli wished to take a look at the Chiss culture

After a month in Johao baths Eli felt better then ever. Nothing was rushing him to come or go. He didn’t have to go anywhere. In fact - he had no place to go back to. Deep inside it was scaring him. But as long as Thrawn was beside him, he could be a welcome guest anywhere for as long as he wanted.

His body was again fully under his control and regained its mobility and dexterity - he realized this when Thrawn, willing to test his just healed arms again, offered to spar with him. That wasn’t a long fight - the genie, although being more experienced in battle techniques, got tired quickly and was knocked down with a well timed move by Eli. When he fell on the soft mat, covering the floor of local dojo, he didn’t rush to stand up.

“Oh… are you alright?” Eli sat beside him and noticed that Thrawn was smiling. For the last few days he had been smiling a lot, and while watching him smiling Eli felt how his own worries passed away, and he could only think about how he wanted to see Thrawn’s smile as often as possible.

“Never felt better. Unfortunately, I completely forgot how to move in battle,” he sat, crossing his legs, then inhaled deeply and slowly raised his arms. “Once I used to be one of the best warriors in the Chiss Ascendancy. Nobody could match me. It will take some time to gain all my skills back after thousands of years.”   
  
“Oh, you know… I have never asked you about your people. Can you tell me something about the Chiss?”   
  
“Actually, there isn’t much to tell,” Thrawn rose, continuing to flex his hands, spreading his fingers then bringing them together again, and lifting them above his head. He stretched as tall as he could, then bent down, touching his toes with his finger tips. “They aren’t much different from the Humans,” he straightened his back again and moved his shoulders backwards so that crackling of his spine could be heard. While watching him, Eli could almost agree with his words - besides the skin and eye color his body looked completely Human. It moved the same and had similar reactions to the changes of surroundings. Also the lack of hair anywhere but on his head was slightly confusing. “Just as egotistic, thinking only of their own desires and social rules.”

“But you…”   
  
“I am a genie,” Thrawn interrupted him abruptly and rose his palms before him, knocking his bracelets on one another with silent cling. “That looks like a Chiss. That…” he lowered his voice and the smile vanished from his face, “even used to be a Chiss once. But not anymore,” he stroke his forehead, wiping a few drops of sweat off. “I think we should go to the steam bath. Even a short battle has exhausted me.”

Eli pressed his lips together and breathed heavily. The genie took his time to tell him numerous stories of galactic heroes that were erased from the archives, vanished civilizations and their technologies, nations psychology and its reflection on art, but whenever Eli asked something about the Chiss, Thrawn always found a way to slip away from the topic, never answering those questions.

“If you don’t want to tell… maybe you can show me?” he tried, feeling that otherwise that question will be dodged for an indefinite time. “As a short excursion into unfamiliar culture that touched your life somehow?”

“You do know how to be persistent.”

“What’s the matter with you? It seems like you hate to remember anything about your own people more than you hate to remember your relationships with Darth Nihilus,” Eli exclaimed and shivered instantly, recalling all the stories of ancient Sith Lords that lived thousands of years ago. One of them was so powerful that he didn’t need any wishmaster at his service, so he was simply devouring genie’s energy to feed his insatiable hunger.    
  
“I have my reasons,” Thrawn’s eyes sparkled for a moment and narrowed. He looked away from Eli, demonstrating with his posture how much he didn’t want to go on with this topic.

“Reasons that you won’t allow even someone you call a friend to know?”    
  


“Am I allowed to claim to be your friend after all the things you’ve been through because of me?”

“Thrawn,” Eli approached him and put his palm on genie’s shoulder. “You saved me from a trap that I’d set for myself. And I’m not talking about my father’s warehouse. You didn’t leave me, although you could have just… left and been free, and I wouldn’t stop you. Though it’s weird,” his hand moved down Thrawn’s shoulder and, after touching the bracelet gently with his fingers, he held his palm. “I think that you are the closest thing I’ve ever had to the word ‘friend’.”   
  
“Fine,” Thrawn relaxed a little. “I will satisfy your curiosity. But you should agree to some conditions.”   
  
“Only if they do not include turning into a droid again.”   
  
“No. But how about turning into a Chiss for a while? For disguise.” He took Eli’s face in his palm and forced him to raise his head. “They’ve never seen Humans, and your present appearance may cause trouble.”

“Well, such a prospective sounds much more pleasant than a droid. But don’t forget about the soft entry into a new form.”

“Of course. And one more thing. We will travel back in time very far. That means we shouldn’t interrupt into anything that had already happened, even if we will have to see something unpleasant.” 

“But why must we travel back in time?”

“Did you read the legend of Darth Lupus?” Thrawn asked, and every one of his features looked strained. It took some time for Eli to remember what it was about - he was reading it right when his parents came for him. He shivered with this memory, but now it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle without losing his grip on reality. When the unpleasant episode in his mind faded, he tried to remove the memory from his emotions and concentrate on the legend.

_ “...then Darth Lupus ordered the wishmaster to destroy everything that was dear to his heart.” _

Eli felt cold running down his spine, proceeding to look at Thrawn without blinking. He didn’t realize it before, but now it was clear. It wasn’t about hiding something. It was about never ending grief and guilt which the genie didn’t want to face again, and now Eli was regretting his curiosity. Yet he decided to move on.   
  


“I… I understand. I will be careful.”   
  
“If anything goes wrong I will clean the mess,” Thrawn’s face softened, a restrained smile appeared on his face. He snapped his fingers on both hands.

Eli felt very warm. His heart seemed to beat faster, but it didn’t make him dizzy, and his thoughts remained clear. The world before his eyes looked brighter, as if it had some additional light source. He looked at his hands and startled when he saw his new skin color - a shade of blue, a little darker than the one Thrawn had. But even more unusual was the light of his eyes that reflected on his eyelids every time he blinked.

“Oh! Is it going to be like this all the time?” he asked and realized that the words he spoke weren’t in Basic. “Incredible! Now, I need a mirror...”   
  


“Wait, one more detail,” another move of his fingers transformed Eli’s light-blue gowns into black uniform, resembling things that Imperial officers wore, but more refined. Thrawn wore similar garb, but his tunic was white with rank badges on his collar. “Here. Now you may have a look,” with hand gesture he invited Eli to look into reflective matter that appeared in the air beside them.

“We’re going to pretend we’re military?” Eli observed his clothes and made few steps to check his boots. Then looked at his reflection and tried to investigate all the changes, fighting some irrational embarrassment. Not only had his color changed - some features looked different as well. Cheekbones become more noticeable, brow ridges enlarged, jawline sharpened and even his eyes looked more narrow. Hair also changed color to dark-blue, became fully straight and wiry and was finely combed backwards. Eli frowned and messed the hairdo up a little, to look a bit more like himself.

“Right. That will protect us from lots of unneeded questions,” Thrawn replied, meanwhile powdering his face with blue. That looked rather strange - he was hiding his bright makeup under another layer of it instead of washing it away. After that he painted some wrinkles that made him look few decades older. “And also it will allow us to hide our true personalities, while all the doors will be opened for us.”

“You did this before and you have some set role to fit into timeline, right?”

“Yes. I am the thirteenth admiral, responsible for a secret department of the defense fleet. Nobody knows who am I and where I came from, but everyone knows my deeds. And you are a talented young man which I found in the suburbs of the capital city and adopted. That will mark your visible confusement as natural excitement due to the benefits of aristocratic lifestyle.” 

“Well, that isn’t far from the truth,” Eli smiled, observing the details of Thrawn’s new look. Now he looked like he was older than fifty. Although in fact he was far much older, and when Eli tried to think of this number, it freaked him out. “You are now my family.”

***

They transferred into an empty corridor with high arched ceilings. Along grey walls covered with crimson tapestry with gold embroidery stood small post with bulbs on each of them, dim lights. From somewhere in the depths of corridor calm string music could be heard.

“And… where are we?”

“This is the home of the Mitth family. I used to live here for a while. Maybe I’m even living somewhere in one of these rooms right now. I chose the time randomly.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? If you meet yourself from the past… won’t it destroy space and time continuum?”

“Unlikely. Anyway, we are going to move to the top of the building. There’s a museum and…” he listened for a while, “a banquet. According to the musical tones, they’re meeting someone from the Hess family.”

“And we’ll be undesired guests.”

“Very honorable undesired guests. Don’t worry, lieutenant, nobody will dare to be rude to you. And if one dares... “ Thrawn rustled his fingers. “For last ten thousand years I’ve been dreaming of punching someone’s face.”   
  
“I’m afraid you’re still out of shape, admiral,” Eli reminded him while they walked further through the corridor and stepped on a broad stairway. On the way, he realized that he got used to the unfamiliar language coming from his mouth and stopped noticing the red reflections on his eyelids. This new body felt now completely natural.

The music got louder, when they rose to the top flight of stairs, starting into another corridor with another stair at the end.

“This looks more like an expensive hotel, not a family house. How many floors does it have?”

“Ten above, twenty-five underground. Mitth is a big family. But look around - in this corridor decorations are more exquisite. A defined family hierarchy can be seen even in such insignificant elements like door shape or tapestry quality,” he pointed to one of the metallic doors which was slightly different in the shape of its frame. “Every family member has his apartments here, even if he doesn’t live here. As a rule, lower levels are empty, because their inhabitants are on duty or prefer to live elsewhere.”

  
“Wait… did you say underground?”   
  
“Right. It’s easier to preserve heat that way. Only the richest can afford living on the surface… and not freeze to death.” 

“Sounds like a strong social hierarchy,” Eli was impressed. He never thought before of what the real Chiss could be. In the legends they always appeared as mysterious magical creatures from the darkest parts of space, and their lives were also imagined as something illogically fantastic, so the reality surprised him.

“Not much different from your Empire. But Chiss have better order on their lower levels.” 

“Don’t you have a lift here?”

“Yes, but there is no better way to know our culture than to personally walk through all the stories of a house of an ancient aristocratic family,” Thrawn explained with a smile, rising on the steps of another set of stairs. Unlike the previous, this one looked more light and clean. More lamps were put in decorative niches in the walls. 

“I think I am starting to understand. Long hard way to the top, full of obstacles.”

“And not everyone can make it. However there are some lifts in this society as well. And I was lucky to use one of them once.” 

One of the doors on their walk opened unexpectedly, and a woman in grey clothes with crimson embroidery almost ran into corridor. When she saw them, she straightened and threw her curly loose hair backwards, revealing her face.

  
  


“Thirteenth Admiral? You’re here? We were not informed.” she spoke in huffy tone.

“Noble Mitth’rish’ar, you know very well how I hate all these ceremonies,” Thrawn replied benevolently. “Don’t make any noise - I want to show this great example of Chiss culture to my young friend.”

“Showing guests into our house without informing us,” the woman pressed her lips, “You’re trespassing displays the bounds of your insolence.” 

“I will consider this should Matriarch Mitth’aria makes a complaint to the High Command. However I suppose that by the time you bring this idea to her excellence I will have already left the house, and the incident will be over.”

Mitth’rish’ar clenched her fists behind her back and exhaled loudly, then, after looking unkindly at Eli, rushed forwards.

“I thought you said we won’t have any problems?”

“I am a genie. If something goes wrong, I will just carry us away from here. However I am sure that it’s going to be all right. Trisha won’t bother the Matriarch with such nonsense,” he turned and pointed at the wall, this time it was decorated with monochrome fresque. Other details of the interior were a little richer than in the previous corridor - black busts were now decorated with metal pieces, and entrance consoles at the doors now had metal frames. “There are too many levels between them.”

“You… started saying something about a lift.”   
  
“Yes. In a way, my elder brother became my lift, and I was his. Accidentally,” his voice got quieter. He stood still, allowing Mitth’rish’ar to run forwards until they disappeared, and then proceeded walking slowly, inviting Eli to follow.

“What do you mean by… accidentally? You’re omnipotent genie. Or…” Eli faltered, realizing the thing he should have understood much earlier, “you haven't always been a genie, right?”

“Right. I was a small ordinary Chiss boy that ran too deep into ice caves. And found a genie there. Deadly bored and tired of his immortality.” 

“That’s unexpected. And… did he look like you?”

“No, he looked like… I don’t even know how this species called. Small, lots of wrinkles, big pointy ears,” he described, showing something shorter than his arm in the air. “He looked very harmless. But in fact… he is to blame that so many children were gone in these caves every year.”

“You never told me about it before.”

“You were not prepared for this. But here and now, after a few weeks of peaceful rest, I assume that you are able to comprehend this story as something more than a reflection of your own pain. By the way, look at this,” he pointed at a schematic fresque decorating the wall of the upcoming stairs. It looked like blurry stripes with artistically placed spots of fluorescent paint that took the function of lamps here. 

“Looks like your cave of wonders.”

“The place where I met the genie looked much similar. He was floating over the floor and I couldn’t reach him. He greeted me and said that he can make three of my wishes come true.”

“Only three?”

“I asked him the same question. And he answered that I should choose wisely.”

“How old were you?”

“Something around five. Obviously I didn’t realize what a catastrophe may cause an unwisely spoken wish. And…” Thrawn’s lips pressed into narrow strained line. “I didn’t take him seriously. It was too far beyond my childish comprehension of reality.”

“That sounds creepy. And… what did you wish?”

“I wished for my brother to be adopted by a ruling family. I used to hear every day how mother blamed him for not doing enough to be noticed. We were an ordinary family, and she dreamed to join the aristocratic families, so she was merciless even to smallest failures. Her anger scared me and it did hurt me to see how my brother suffered. Because I knew he did his best.”

“Sounds much like my family.”

“Yes. Similar pattern. And there is nothing more honorable than to become a part of a ruling family. At least I used to think so back then. Obviously, when I told my wish to the genie nothing happened, and I kept thinking he was lying.”

“And then you wished for something completely silly.”

“Since I was a child I wished to become a great warrior. So my wish sounded like: I wish to become the greatest warrior of the Chiss Ascendancy, but I don’t need any magic to achieve it, for I believe I was born for this.”

“That’s… very naive,” Eli couldn’t help smiling.

“Back the I thought I was only chattering and didn’t realize that he was catching my every “I wish”.”

“And after that second wish nothing changed as well.”

“Funny, but my strategic talent didn’t include being careful with omnipotent beings. I went on talking of all rubbish that filled my child’s mind. About living for the welfare of the Ascendancy, infinite duty of every Chiss before his state… and then I did the most stupid thing in my life.”

“You wished to become a perfect supply officer?” Eli said, smiling nervously.

Thrawn stopped and laughed.

“I said that after growing up I wish to serve my people forever. And added that if I was as omnipotent as he described himself, I wouldn’t be greedy to limit it to three wishes, ready to fulfill all the needs of people around me.”

“I am afraid to imagine how an overly creative mind can turn such wish.”

“Luckily, his mind wasn’t as creative as mine. But cruel enough. When I came back home, I learned that my brother was adopted by Mitth family, but mother still couldn’t enter high society. Nobody wanted her even on the lower levels here, while they almost didn’t let brother come visit us. She was very angry, and now her anger for shattered hopes was on me alone.” 

“Oh, Kh’riff,” Eli said and improperly chuckled over the sound of this word in Chiss vocal apparatus.

“Then I realized that the talent of great strategist really appeared in me. All the tactical schemes which I looked through became clear to me and I knew how to make them all better in multiple situations. But… I was five years old. Nobody took me seriously, and adults only laughed at my attempts to discuss it until I was mature and could start real service in our fleet. But that didn’t fix the situation as well. Superior officers hated me for being always right. However they couldn’t ignore my successes and after years I could command my own ship. After being neglected for so long I could finally show my talent to everyone.”

“I’m hearing a lot of ‘but’ in this.”

“But then my brother decided that I needed a social lift to strengthen my unstable position.”

“Oh, right. The lifts.”

“After he drove their attention to my efforts, the Mitth family evaluated my talent and offered me to become one of their sons. But after seeing my physical condition, the Matriarch’s regent decided that I should… enter the family properly.”

  
  


“Saying roughly - you married a princess to become a prince.”

“Very rough, but close enough. I became her first husband and suddenly came from the lower levels to the highest ground. And that was the moment when the genie appeared with his wedding present,” Thrawn moved his sleeve to show one of his bracelets. “I didn’t believe my eyes. After fifteen years I started to believe that he was a hallucination. But when these things grabbed my wrists and started burning me, that became my only reality,” he lowered the fabric of his sleeve back and moved his arms behind him. Eli unwillingly recalled the burned bleeding flesh he saw under this bracelets recently.

“Guess that wedding… wasn’t much fun.”

“Mitth’aria was very displeased when I screamed in pain, so her fist order to me as a genie was to shut up and not spoil her first wedding. I can’t blame her - Chiss are very petty about these ceremonies, and if her first husband demonstrated weakness- that’d be a shame for the bride. But back then it was…” Thrawn paused, trying to find the right word, but couldn’t. He exhaled heavily.

“These terrible wounds… they appeared that day?”

“It was much worse. My hands were literally dead. But by the will of the Matriarch I was patient and silent by the end of the ceremony. I could only cry, and my tears spoiled my wedding makeup, so she had to take me out for a while to fix my face. There she pointed at a doll which was designed after me for the wedding, and commanded that I should look the same. She was amazed when it… “ he moved his hand around his face, which looked unnaturally perfect even through the layers of powder, “actually worked. And I was devoured by my pain too much to notice it. You may imagine how my brother was scared when it all ended,” Thrawn chuckled quietly.

“Now that’s why your face is so creepy.”

“I thought you considered me beautiful.”

“You are. So beautiful that it’s creepy.”

“If you feel uncomfortable…”

“No,” Eli interrupted him roughly, and then repeated again quietly. “No. I will not command you how you should look like.”

“Thank you. I appreciate it,” Thrawn replied and smiled. “By the way, we’ve reached the upper levels.”

Eli suddenly realized that the music was much louder, and modest decorations around them were replaced by glowing tapestries with large detailed panoramas on them that one could watch for hours. There was a lot of light and the corridor wasn’t empty - Chiss in rich clothes, alone and in couples, were passing them by and greeting the Admiral with short polite nods. 

“Oh… Kh’riff, I was so into your story that I forgot to look around!”

“No worries. You’ve got all the time in the world to visit this place again if you wish. And now why don’t we join the high society at the party?” 

“I am a little scared after all your stories.”

They passed into another wider corridor, which broadened into big light hall with higher ceiling. In the niches of its walls hung white and crimson tapestries one after another. In the far edge of the hall a wide balcony could be seen where a group of musicians with unfamiliar instruments were creating the peaceful melody that could be heard all over the house.

Down below it on the wide seats was a lot of Chiss sitting. Almost all of them wore grey and crimson gowns, resembling the one Mitth’rish’ar was wearing. Also there was a few of them wearing grey and white. At the head of the table a woman was sitting, dressed fully in crimson.

“The purer the color, the higher the state in the family, right?”

“You’re catching on quick.”

“And that gown you usually wear is fully crimson, because you’re married… to that woman.”

“Don’t be jealous. Right now I belong only to you.”   
  


“What? I didn’t…”

“Stay here for a moment. I will go to say hello,” the genie said and the next moment he was a hundred meters away, standing behind the Matriarch. She, judging by her unexpectedly active gestures for someone in her position, was very excited by his appearance.

Eli felt uncomfortable. He looked at his hands again to make sure that he still was a Chiss and wasn’t standing off the crowd. The aristocrats and military that passed him by gave him cold looks, observing his uniform with no rank badges or family colors, but this short look longed only a second, after which they turned away from him and proceeded to the mistress of the house, whispering something about the insolent admiral that came without invitation with another favorite boy. 

Realizing that the “saying hello” that genie mentioned could take quite long, he started to walk around lazily, observing the best assets of the family collection, situated near the hall entrance on beautiful matte glass. Definitely these should have been the most valuable things in this house, according to level, although many of them looked like something very poorly and roughly made. Soon Eli guessed, that their true value was not how they were made, but how they were obtained - their appearance was much different from what was common for the Chiss culture, and that meant these could be trophies from mighty enemies. 

He definitely wasn’t impressed. Luxury decoration of the aristocratic house were still luxury, but right now it made him sick and bored. Chiss were a proud, martial race, full of prejudices, conservatism and noticeable social hierarchy. They felt the same emotions as Humans, although they were doing their best to hide them, they were moved with the same passions and flaws, covered under the flag of loyal servitude to their state. There was absolutely nothing magical, mysterious or miraculous as he imagined in his youth while listening to fairy tales. Thrawn, who was definitely like a fairy tale character, was nothing like them.

“Lieutenant…” a male voice called him quietly. Eli turned and saw a middle-aged Chiss in crimson-grey clothes and short haircut, excluding long thin braid falling down his back. “We weren’t introduced. What is your name?”

“Eli,” he replied and then added, “Simply Eli. I have no family.”

“It seemed to me you’re close with the Thirteenth Admiral. He is noble father of many orphans, as far as I know, and I would love to pass a plea through you…” his face went grim, and voice became quieter, “for my younger brother.” 

Eli tensed up. Even the presence of omnipotent genie, capable to solve any trouble easily, didn’t make him feel confident that he could decide anything here and now. Especially in the face of some noble person, even if this person had no effect on his life. There was still too much of the strained frightened young cadet which he was not too long ago left in him.   
  
“Oh, I don’t think it’s a good idea, mister…”

“Syndic Mitth’ras’safis.” 

Eli observed him once again attentively, trying to spot every detail of his look. There was more crimson then grey in his clothes, his manners were restrained, but inconfidence blinked in his features, and his pose was vulnerable. Something bothered him despite being a part of this noble house. Something that unfamiliar low rank officer could help him with. After considering it, Eli felt more confident and asked,

“Your position in the Eight Ruling Family is high enough, so why don’t you care yourself for your brother’s future?” he replied and immediately felt awkward, because not only the language he spoke was different, but the very manner of his speech.

“It’s not that simple. He is already part of the Mitth family, and his rank is higher than mine, but… it’s an illusion. He’s got no power. No rights,” emotion could be heard even in his quiet voice, and red eyes glowed brighter. “He’s being treated like a tool!” his breathing became more intensive and he grabbed Eli’s wrist. His grip was quite firm. “Please, help him, I beg you!”

  
  


“Excuse me, Syndic, but I don’t think that I have any right to interfere in the internal business of the Eight Ruling Family.”

“No, I insist! If you see him, you will understand!” the Chiss pulled him back to the main corridor. Eli lost his head - thoughts of rudely pushing away and insulting a person of power from an unfamiliar culture in front of a full hall of his relatives seemed unacceptable.

“Fine. Nothing bad will happen if I only take a look,” he said quietly to himself.

Mitth’ras’safis opened one of the doors and impatiently nearly pushed Eli inside. The room was poorly lit and corresponded the luxury of other apartments of this level. But the furniture and other objects, put in perfect order, made this place feel lifeless and empty. Eli noticed that someone was in the room only when what looked like a pile of expensive clothes in the middle moved and turned to them.

“Brother… why did you bring him here?” a Chiss appeared from under layers of fabric and sat, positioning wide sleeves of his gowns beautifully, and Eli shivered after recognizing him immediately. That surely was Thrawn, his face, his hair, his clothes and movements were just the same as when he saw him for the first time in the cave of wonders. Only the light of his eyes was gone, so they looked like two cracks on his doll-like face. “The Admiral said clearly that he’s not going to take me.”

“Thrawn?” Eli spitted out before he realized how out of place it was in this timeline.

“Do you know him?” Mitth’ras’safis said in amusement.

“Uh… er… The Admiral told me about him. Lots of creepy stuff,” Eli replied, calming himself by the fact he wasn’t really lying.

“He remembers me? Amazing,” Thrawn said in a careless tone. He was sitting immobile and in dim lights looked even more like a doll. Eli clenched his fists. Curiosity and fear of damaging the timeline were fighting inside him. Curiosity was winning, because for those who were present here he was only another Chiss passing by, who couldn’t really affect the current events. He only had to be careful with his wishes.

“Since you took me here, I’d like to stay with him for a moment, alone.”   
  


“I hope you do understand that you shouldn’t ask for anything against the Mitth family,” Mitth’ras’safis warned him and went back to the door.

“Never planned for anything like this,” Eli sneered. “I don’t care about your family and it’s plotting.”

  
  


“Very well,” the Syndic went away, and Eli gazed again at Thrawn, who looked petrified in his pose of obedience. A perfect face and symmetrically laying sleeves made him look even more lifeless, and Eli swallowed another lump.

“What do you wish, young warrior?” Thrawn asked in the same careless tone, his lips barely moved. 

“I… wanted to find out something.”

“If you wish I may obtain any information for you.”

“I want to look at your hands.”

Thrawn didn’t answer or object anything. He rose his loose lying hands to the level of his eyes. Not even a muscle twisted on his face. 

Eli took his palms and inhaled roughly in horror, feeling how cold and unnaturally dense they were. Blue skin looked almost white where is wasn’t covered with the cracks of black burns, in some of which under exfoliated dead skin ichor could be seen.   
  
Eli looked at his face again. It didn’t change even when he accidently pressed his fingers on an open wound.   
  
“Are you… forbidden to feel pain?”

“My masters are merciful. I make their wishes come true. They give me opium.”

“Kh’riff… you’re on drugs!”   
  
“That doesn’t affect my mental abilities.”

“Are you sure? If you call it mercy, I don’t think your mind is clear!”   
  
“That’s the best I can get.”

  
“I wish for these terrible wounds on your hands to heal, for you to never ever feel such terrible pain again! And I wish you to get sober, and never ever do drugs!” Eli got too excited and shook Thrawn’s shoulders. He looked back at him, and now he looked more conscious and had an expression of amazement. Light appeared again in his eyes, first dim, but then got brighter every second. “You’re an omnipotent genie! How could you get so deep into this?”

“I am a Chiss. And I am not omnipotent. I am nothing without the other’s will,” he rose his palms before him and observed them - terrible wounds and scars disappeared, and the skin on his hand started looking more alive. He gently bent every finger, then clenched both hands into fists. His lips twisted a little - evidently such move was still painful. But not too much. He took a pin from his hair and pinned himself in the middle of the palm. Blood appeared from the small wound, and for some reason it made him smile. The smile was painful, but sincere. 

Eli awkwardly rubbed the material of his uniform - he had no idea how this spontaneous wish could affect the timeline, and would the Thrawn of his present change anything in the past that just occured. But he couldn’t stop himself. 

“Still. You… don’t want anything from me?” the genie asked again, putting the pin back in the base of his thick braid.    
  
“I’ve got everything I need. And I don’t understand why I was the first one to…”

“Because they are afraid of me,” Thrawn answered confidently, like he didn’t need to hear out the full question. The careless expression on his face changed into one that was squeamish and aggressive. “But still I would like to… show my gratitude somehow. You were the first one to be so kind to me in my whole life.”

“Think of something.” Eli frowned and looked away. This thing that he did seemed only right and natural, and he felt it like he wanted to do much, much more, but stopped himself. “What would you like to give me? Magical or not, I will take it as your sincere gratitude.” 

“I don’t have anything but myself. But since you don’t need me…” he lowered his eyes like in doubt, then raised them again, and their light brightened. He gently put his palms on Eli’s face. Eli only opened his mouth in amusement, and the next moment Thrawn’s lips were on his, not letting him to say a word of objections that appeared at the moment. Eli was disoriented so he allowed this kiss to last for a few seconds, before he grabbed Thrawn’s hands and forced him to move back. 

“I don’t want you to give me anything like this if your intentions are servitude or politeness. I don’t need your magic or you body right now. You can be so much more than this!”

“I would sincerely prefer to serve you alone, not this crowd of insatiable aristocrats. If only you allowed me to come with you… I will not occupy much space.” Thrawn bowed down, touching the floor, reaching his hands and weakly grabbing the fabric of Eli’s pants in his fists. “You only have to wish and I will become small and unnoticeable. I am sure I can make it. Please, I beg you…”

The changed tones of his voice made Eli’s heart skip a beat. He was used to see the genie calm and dignified even when he was standing on his knees before him. But now he looked miserable and helpless. It was so wrong and frightening. It made him wish to interfere into timeline and erase his own reality, but thoughts of possible catastrophic consequences was the thin but solid thread that didn’t let him dart off.

“Oh no… no… I shouldn’t interfere any more…” he shook his head. “I shouldn’t even be here!”

“If you worry about the Mitth family - you should only wish them to forget about my existence!” the genie rose and grabbed his shoulders, looking into his eyes with a plea. “And your Admiral…”

“No-no-no! I… really can’t do it!” Eli pushed him away again, this time he had to do it more rough, and as a result Thrawn lost his balance and fell to the floor. “I am sorry… I am so sorry…” Eli rushed to the door that remained partly opened. He almost ran out of the room, not saying anything to Mitth’ras’safis that was waiting outside. Only when he was few dozens of steps away he allowed himself to turn around. The genie was standing at the threshold, staring at him, but he couldn’t trespass. His face was so full of misery that everything inside Eli twisted at feeling of guilt.

He shut his eyes tightly and ran in random direction, luckily not knocking into noble inhabitants of the house that kept entertaining themselves at the guest night. He kept running under their amused gazes until he jumped into a lift cabin that appeared before him. Two Chiss went out of it, and nobody intended to walk in.

He hit the button for the lowest level, and when the door closed, he pressed his back against the cool wall and slid down to the floor, covering his face in his palms. Only then he discovered that a spot of blood remained on his face after Thrawn’s touch. For a few seconds he just sat there, breathing heavily, tears quietly running down his cheeks.


	7. Chapter seven, where Eli finally realized what he is truly wishing for

A light sound signalled him that the elevator reached the lowest level of the building. Eli forced himself to stand and straighten his posture, covering the dirty, blood streaked side of his face with his hand. The door opened and Thrawn was standing beside it. This time the Thrawn from his present. He looked totally calm. Satisfied even.

“Eli? What happened? I felt that you were worried about something.”   
  
“I…” he swallowed his tears and moved his eyes away from genie’s face. “I got lost and… I might have damaged the timeline.”   
  
“Impossible. I would have felt it.” Thrawn came into the elevator and the door closed behind him. “However… Time works in strange ways. It is quite possible that the thing you’ve done was already written in the threads of the past.”

“I’ve… met you. From this timeline. And I… I’m so sorry,” Eli’s eyes glossed over with tears again.   
  
Thrawn softly grabbed his wrist and moved away the hand Eli was hiding his face with. His lips slightly twisted. He flipped open his palm and a handkerchief appeared in it.

“You did just enough,” he took his face and started to slowly wipe the blood from Eli’s cheek. The fabric, touching skin, was wet and cool, and with the blood it took on the painful bright red impressions. Eli didn’t notice at first that Thrawn also wiped his tears.   
  


“I… I wish to go back to Johao. I think this has been enough of Chiss culture for me today.”   
  
“Certainly,” Thrawn replied, smiling with the corners of his lips. The elevator’s doors opened again and behind them there was their wood paneled sleeping room, with the evening shining through in it’s windows. Eli felt a warm breeze on his face and exhaled in relief, but his legs seemed to forget how to walk.

Thrawn’s hand embraced his shoulders gently and he led Eli out of the elevator. The door closed behind them silently and disappeared. Thrawn’s white uniform disappeared as well and he was once again wearing his dark grey and crimson gown, and the bright makeup could be again seen on his face. He looked much the same as himself from the past and Eli shivered, feeling the grip of guilt once again.   
  
“It was a long time ago,” the genie said quietly and his emotions couldn’t be heard in his voice. “My people and all the memories of them live now only in me.”

“But still… it was you,” Eli objected, still helpless to let go of the past and come back to present. “And I… I’ve hurt you.”

  
“You? No, on the contrary,” again a soft smile. “You helped me to get rid of that… terrible pain I was forced to endure.”   
  
“But you… you stared at me as if I robbed you of something.”

“Because that moment I thought that I would never get to see you again,” Thrawn touched Eli’s face again and for a few seconds he just observed it before he proceeded. “Then after I came up with that transformation-into-a-carpet plan and my brother managed to take me away from the Ascendancy territory there was only one thing I regretted - that I didn’t try to find you. I was thinking of it for all the past centuries, and when I obtained some certain grade of freedom, I… created that Thirteenth Admiral and came back to the past to find all the children, enchanted by that big eared villain. I was hoping that among the ones I saved I would find you,” now both his palms touched Eli’s cheeks. “I had no idea that I was looking in the wrong place and time. And that you…” his smile became wider and his face seemed to look more alive, “are not even a Chiss.”    
  
“Listen…” Eli looked at his clenched hands. His uniform was still on him, and his body didn’t change back to Human, as if Thrawn was waiting for him to order it personally, “while I am still a Chiss… what is your full name?”   
  
“Mitth’raw’nuruodo.”

  
“Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” he repeated. “So beautiful... and unusual.”   
  
“Yes, it is,” the genie bent to him and touched his lips with a kiss. 

This time Eli didn’t try to push him away. He closed his eyes and dove deep into this sensation. It was… Unusual, but not wrong. Magical, but still real. He never thought of anyone like this while he was restrained by frames of given protocols - like for all his life before meeting Thrawn he unwillingly tried to turn himself into a droid, and only now he started to realize what it was like to be alive.   
  
He listened to his senses. His heart was beating more intensely, and heat pushed away all the worries, flushing through his body. He allowed himself to touch the fabric of Thrawn’s gowns and didn’t realize it as he began to wander under it and started touching his skin. It was hot, but it wasn’t because of his species - now they both were similar.   
  
Thrawn interrupted the kiss, and his quick heavy breaths touched Eli’s lips. He slowly lifted his eyelids - being so close Eli he couldn’t focus on his face, and his eyes dilated wide into a single spot of bright red light. 

Eli put his palm on genie’s cheek and moved slightly away from him to give him another look. The unrealistically symmetrical features made him feel uneasy again.   
  
“I wish to see your real face. The one you had before… your wife wished for this…” Eli was petrified after saying these words, suddenly realizing that the man he kissed was married somewhere in another time, and maybe even had children. He dropped his hands and averted his gaze.   
  
Thrawn breathed deeply and methodically took a step back. Then with a broad gesture he took a hexagon shaped piece of glass out of his sleeve.

  
“Look through it and you will see what I looked like… before any magical interference.”

  
Eli frowned. When he pronounced his wish he expected a different result. The genie raised his eyebrows - he definitely noticed the reaction. Eli looked at him through the glass and saw a young Chiss in black uniform with crimson patterns on his shoulders. His stare was glacially cold and facial expression made Eli feel unwanted and scared. That wasn’t the face of someone he knew, and staring into his features and noting the similarities he still couldn’t believe it was Thrawn and not some bypasser he met in the Mitth house.    
  
“This is… not what I expected,” Eli admitted. Thrawn smiled and took the glass back into his sleeve, convinced that Eli had seen enough. …   
  
“I can travel in time wherever I want to. But I can’t reverse or rewrite my own life. If I do that I’ll erase myself as I am. As I became after all these years. The real me. And I will become someone who ceased to exist when he put on these bracelets. That would essentially be suicide, and I don’t want to die. But if my appearance bothers you so much…” 

  
“No. Forgive me…” Eli clenched the sleeve of his uniform. “I’ve spoiled everything again. I… will get used to it.”    
  
“It’s fine. I had thousands of years to learn to understand such things. And I’ve got all the eternity to explain them all to you.”   
  
“But Thrawn… what eternity are you talking about? I’m mortal.”   
  
“I allowed myself to fix this minor issue when we were in the cave. Eternal youth included.” 

  
“What?” Eli shivered, feeling the raging protest boiling from inside. “But… I didn’t wish for that!”   
  
“You didn’t ask to save your life either, but that didn’t seem to bother you,” Thrawn frowned and clenched his hands behind his back. “I’ve been looking for you for ten thousand years,” he turned around and moved a few steps away. “You may call me selfish, but I won’t stand to lose you after only a couple of hundred. Or how short are Human lives?”

  
Eli felt cold. Drowning in his anger, he ceased feeling anything outside of it, and it forced himself to forget everything he went through with Thrawn, bringing him into only one single thought.   


“You can’t decide such things for me! You… you’re nothing better than my father!”   
  
“That should have only happened once,” Thrawn twisted his lips. “I’m not your father, Eli. And I can’t control you. If you want me to give you mortality back and…”    
  
“Go away,” Eli interrupted him roughly. For a few seconds he was staring ahead of himself to space, breathing heavily and feeling how the daze of his anger slowly faded.   
  
“As you wish, my Master,” Thrawn said flatly and, after a reverent bow, he went away though the balcony door.

***

When he got outside, Thrawn looked at the sky, which was unusually full of ships for this planet. There were ones of all sizes and configurations, with guests on board, arriving to visit the events of local Festival Week, the only short period of time when the magical veil above the planet lifted. Among them were three huge ships of the Galactic Empire - something that was never before seen here. A shuttle parted from one of them and lowered to the planet. Thrawn smiled. All was according to plan.

  
The shuttle was circling for a while above the Johao bathes, trying to find a landing site, but the invisible barrier didn’t allow it to approach to the inner territory. After ten minutes of attempts the pilot finally gave it up and landed behind the gates. Soon fuss and swearing could be heard from there; the polite personnel tried to greet the new guest according to the ceremonial rules, but got only loud, rude, and angry responses.   
  
“Where is the genie?” the guest hissed. A sound of ignited lightsaber could be heard. But the Johao personnel remained calm. “What is wrong with this planet?”

  
Thrawn allowed himself to laugh quietly, imagining the growing confusion of the Grand Inquisitor. The silhouette in dark clothes soon knocked his way through the good manners of the bathes servants and rushed to the square with the fountain. The Inquisitor restrained himself, once again wearing his confident yet grim expression.   
  
“There you are. Did you think that after leaving so many traces of your presence you could hide from me?”   
  
“No,” Thrawn smiled, looking down at him. “Actually I was expecting you and I wanted to offer a deal that is profitable for us both.”   
  
“My only wish is to serve my Master,” the Inquisitor snarled and rose his hand in a slow menacing gesture.   
  
“Of course! I only wanted to offer you something that will make your servitude more effective.”   
  
“I won’t buy it. You won’t fool me with the same trick for the third time, genie. Your twisted mind won’t help you to avoid the inevitable,” the Inquisitor looked to the sky. “There in orbit is a whole fleet. If something goes wrong, I will command them to leave only ruins of this planet. If I understood you right, it’s somewhat dear to you.”   
  
Thrawn raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, pretending he was scared.   
  
“Oh no, Grand Inquisitor, this time I am absolutely sincere,” he folded his sleeves, demonstrating his bracelets, and raised his hands in front of him. “It happens so that I cannot submit to the Emperor’s will,” he breathed dramatically and lowered his eyelids. “But I can hand these bracelets over to you. Once I put them on I became what I became. Why possess a genie when you can possess the genie’s power and not share it with anyone?”   
  
“Still sounds like a trick,” the Inquisitor approached him and grabbed his wrists, examining the bracelets attentively.

  
“On the contrary. When I take them off, I will instantly dissolve into dust,” Thrawn opened his eyes again and looked directly at the Inquisitor. “I am ready to interrupt my pointless and boring existence and hand them over to you, if you agree to forget that this planet ever existed.”   
  
“Prove it. Take them off,” the Inquisitor sneered.

The bracelets unlocked with a clicking sound. Thrawn inhaled deeply, feeling how the cuffs he was so used to after thousands of years fell away from his hands. That feeling lasted only for a moment, after which his body cracked and dissolved, and the fabric of his gowns instantly turned into dust. A blow of wind carried away all that remained of genie, lifting a light grey cloud into the air.

  
The Inquisitor opened his mouth in amusement and for a few seconds was immobile, watching at the genie’s remnants floated away, then picked up the bracelets and looked at the seducingly shiny metal. The jewelry had so much powerful energy flowing through it that the seduction to possess it was very strong. Too strong.

The Inquisitor put one of bracelets on his right hand and instantly felt how all this power started running through him. It was so great that it seemed that he could destroy all the stars and planets in the galaxy with a snap of his fingers. He stopped breathing. A minute ago he thought that he would deliberately hand all the genie’s power over to the Emperor, but now he didn’t want to share even a small part of it with anyone.    
  
Suddenly a blue pigmented alien approached him, interrupting his enjoyment with his new power. He looked like he belonged to the same species as the genie. Dressed in some military uniform, he talked about something very loudly in a strange language. Ignoring the Inquisitor, the alien fell to his knees on the stone pavers from which the ashes of the genie were just blown away.

“Who the hell are you?” the Inquisitor asked carelessly. “Another genie?”   
  
The alien, possessed by emotions, looked up to him and, yelling something in the same language, rushed towards him. It looked more like a gesture of despair than a real attack, so the Inquisitor didn’t even bother to ignite his lighsaber and just threw him away with a Force push. Due to his increased power the body flew away so fast that it crushed the decorative statue on the fountain and broke through the roof of a building behind it.   
  
Observing the effects of his power, the Inquisitor felt filled with pleasure and laughed.   
  
“And that is only one… I will gain unlimited power!” He exclaimed as he confidently put on the second bracelet, expecting the power to flow into him now from both sides.   
  
But something went wrong. The moment when the second bracelet locked, the metal of both began to heat, in a few seconds it became red hot, and then even white. The energy, instead of filling him, burned his body and mind, and the only thing he could do is release a scream of agony.   
  
***    
  


Eli regained consciousness after the fall quite quickly. Evidently, along with immortality, Thrawn granted him extremely fast regeneration - multiple bruises and wounds were already healed, and not a single bone was currently broken, which he definitely felt and heard that they had broken in the fall. Only a phantom pain still lingered in his spine a little. For some time he just laid there, watching the dark sky, where Imperial Star Destroyers disappeared one after another into the expanse of hyperspace. Somewhere far away he heard cacophonous fireworks explode in the air. However Eli didn’t comprehend any of it - he was still seeing an image of Thrawn, taking off his bracelets and dissolving into ashes.

He saw it when he went to take in the cool breeze on the balcony and didn’t immediately realize what happened, but the Inquisitors evil laughter quickly put everything to its place. At least it seemed so in an affective state.   
  
Right now his mind was unpleasantly empty, as if it was loading itself after reboot - for a few moments he even thought he could see fuzzy streams of ones and zeroes when he blinked. When he stood up, he felt a little dizzy, but it was nothing compared to what one should have felt after crushing a marble sculpture with his head.

The Inquisitor was still here. He was standing by the fountain and talked to someone with his holocom. But his speech was too quiet to hear anything through the noise of the water rushing in a powerful stream from the broken mechanism. Eli focused on the figure, now both bracelets were on his hands. Trying not to catch his attention, he came a little closer.

“You’ve failed your mission. Again. I don’t wish to hear your excuses through the holonet. Nobody should know about it,” spoke the hoarse voice of someone very old.

“I will give you a full report when I get to Coruscant, your Majesty. And now… if you excuse me, the connection on this planet… isn’t very good.”   


“You know what happens if you keep me waiting for too long.”   
  
“Of course,” the Inquisitor replied and ended the call. After that he toyed with the round holocom in his fingers and carelessly tossed it into the water. “What a mess,” he said, addressing no one, and waved his hands few times. The broken statue and the roof of the pagoda fixed themselves and everything was back in their places. Eli stared for a while in amusement, than straightened himself and approached.   
  
“Thrawn, is that you?” he asked, afraid of the possible answer.   
  
“Hmm, not yet,” the Inquisitor snapped his fingers, and his black clothes turned into long crimson gown, and pale striped face of pauan turned into a doll-like beautiful Chiss’ face, framed by a waterfall of long black hair. He looked at Eli, and his red eyes sparkled playfully. “Now that’s me. Have you stopped sulking about…”   
  
“Thrawn!” Eli cried out with a deep exhale and pulled the genie into his arms, wrinkling the fabric of his gown. “Kriff, I was so scared!”   
  
“I fell out of reality for a few minutes. What happened here?”   
  
“I saw how you gave him your bracelets, and then dissolved, and…” Eli raised his eyes to view the genie’s face, feeling how his pain and shock, that he didn’t manage to realize, came from deep within, ready to come out with his tears, “I thought I’d lost you forever!”   
  
“Unpleasant, indeed?” Thrawn sneered. “You only started realizing your feelings about someone, and he suddenly disappears.”   
  
“You…” Eli frowned, blinking slowly. “You did it on purpose. You knew I was watching. You… oh for star’s sake, you have set it all up from the start! You knew how everything was going to happen! You’re horrible,” he exhaled loudly and buried his face into fabrics of Thrawn’s gown. “Don’t do that again, please.”   
  
“I won’t,” Thrawn replied quietly, and Eli felt his hand softly stroking his hair.   
  
“Forgive me. I don’t know why I got so angry. If you didn’t make me immortal, I definitely wouldn’t survive that yeet.”   
  
“Yeet?” Thrawn looked around and took a guilty breath. “Oh no, he hurt you. I’m sorry.”   
  


“Well, that did hurt, but… I’m already fine,” Eli nodded, as if he didn’t believe in his own words. “Fine,” he repeated and clenched the red fabric in his fist again. “But… who was that? Won’t the Emperor be missing him?”   
  
“A Force-hound. Took my trace back on Myomar. While you were a droid, I was leading him around all the Galaxy so he couldn’t see you were connected to me. Few times I even got caught. This one has no personality or any real intentions, except the lust for power, given by the Dark side. I’m not sorry for him even a bit,” Thrawn moved away and looked at his bracelets. “He wasn’t clever enough to ask, what is attached to these bracelets except the power. And I am attached to them. He had no other path then to dissolve into me.”   
  
“That was risky. What if he would decide to take them to the Emperor indeed?”   
  
“The outcome would be the same. I’ve calculated this. I’m a genius, am I not?”   
  
“A genie, you meant.”   
  
“No. But…” Thrawn snickered, giving Eli a warm look, “yes. I’ve created his doppelganger. A Sith Lord, obsessed by himself and his power, won’t notice the difference, because a Force-hound for him is someone consumable. The fake Inquisitor will tell him a story of how he found my lamp, and how I, desperately refusing to serve him, destroyed it and vanished. And everyone will forget about me for centuries.”

“And what happens to us now?”   
  
“What do you wish, Eli?” the genie took his hands and this time he didn’t look like a slave expecting orders at all.   
  
“I…” Eli glanced at genie’s hands which now didn’t have any scars or burns. He moved his look to his own hands. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if I want to become Human again. After everything you showed me I’m a little lost now. The Universe is so great…”   
  
“Your wishes are not obliged to be great,” Thrawn objected softly. The sound of his voice made Eli’s face blush and a warmth spread in his chest. “The main thing is that it should be your wishes. And you may start with something small.”   
  
“Alright then… I wish for you, Mitth’raw’nuruodo,” Eli said slowly and took Thrawn’s face in his hand, stroking his cheekbones with his fingertips.

  
“That’s… a very vague statement.” Thrawn bend forwards, putting his hands on Eli’s shoulders. “Will there be any… clarifications?”   
  
“I wish you and me to be together,” Eli almost whispered, looking into his eyes.   
  
“Are you sure, that…”

  
“I trust you,” he added even quieter. “And I am sure.”

“Well then that’s…” Thrawn bent closer, and Eli felt the motion of his lips on his skin, “a nice beginning for a new fairy-tale.”

**Author's Note:**

> This work was intended to be a pure Aladdin!AU but in fact it goes by it's own deep psychological scenario mixed with various canon diversities. It's nothing like some easy fairytale AU, although there is kind of happy ending. Some readers may find the story quite hard and heavy.
> 
> Few concepts:  
> EL-1 - https://66.media.tumblr.com/b69604c318c649728577ec31db087a59/tumblr_psli8c12ET1sg8obvo1_540.png  
> Thrawn's wedding - https://66.media.tumblr.com/34465fd0fbcdcfa401dc9b62590c349d/tumblr_pso8xuDh3H1sg8obvo1_1280.jpg  
> Thrawn's lower gown - https://66.media.tumblr.com/22f1f47585ad800fe914e8131807420f/tumblr_ptkynbZvNe1s7mfo8_1280.png
> 
> Special thanks to JessKo for beta reading and Tiranushka for the great cover art she made for me https://tiranushka.tumblr.com/post/185882917943/for-iskelan <3 and the art of smol Thrawn on Eli's finger.
> 
> Русскую версию фанфика можно прочесть здесь: https://ficbook.net/readfic/8478787


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